Four Princes
by CupcakeAttack13
Summary: When Tsuna is accepted into the Magical Academy For Intelligent Adolescents, what can he do but go? But this school is not as it seems. Who are the Four Princes? What is Tsuna's connection to them? Something dark is brewing, and Tsuna is caught up in the center of it all. GEN!Fic
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**MY DEBUT HAS FINALLY COME! I hope you guys enjoy this and I hope to continue this in the near future. Um, I'll make this short so you guys don't get bored. This is a Gen!fic, so no romance is planned whatsoever (if that changes I'll let you guys know but, again, there is no intention). The Arcobaleno are full adults because I have a personal preference. This is essentially a re-telling of the original story (same arcs except Curse of the Rainbow arc since my Arcobaleno don't have it), but I do plan on putting a big spin on it. Do tell me if there are any issues with my works - no matter how small (i.e. forgot a space) - and enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: If I were the author, I wouldn't be here; I'd be writing the actual novel version. So no, don't own it.**

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1.

The pristine building gleamed in the dying sunlight, light reflecting off the stained glass panels that were the windows. Oranges blended with fading blues and deep purples, a rainbow at the edge of the world. The building itself was perfectly situated so that a rainbow formed across the windows, purple at one end slowly turning into red on the other end.

A boy, his hair defying gravity, stood at the gates of the school. It was hard not stare at the structure, having never seen anything larger than a school up until four days ago. He shifted his orange drawstring bag, holding the bare essentials since the school promised to supply the uniform as well as meals and other necessities. His eyes were brown, complimenting his brunet hair, but in the light there was an orange tint to them. It disappeared as he looked behind him, staring at the long road that seemed to stretch on forever, wondering how one person could move so quickly. There was no sight of his guardian, his father, who had immediately begun the enrollment process once he had discovered the boy had potential to be accepted into the school. It almost hurt how fast his father had disappeared, but the boy wasn't overly surprised. His father wasn't necessarily close to the boy and had always seemed to be looking for something in him that was missing. His mother had wished him well, proud that he was finally succeeding in something rather than bringing home the most abysmal report cards he could. The boy was going to make his mother proud, if he could. Truth be told, he wasn't sure how he'd gotten accepted into such a big school, but here he was, ready to take the first step into a new life.

Taking a deep breath, the boy stepped through the archway, feeling a slight tingle as he passed through. Feeling as though he had somehow passed a test, the boy let a smile cross his face and he took another step, and then another. The smile grew larger as he neared the large doors, rather imposing and made of a dark wood, but more in a way that demands respect than fear. A knocker – rather plain in comparison to the door – laid in the middle of the right door, crafted in a simple horseshoe shape.

Raising the rather heavy knocker, the boy notices words inscribed behind the great knocker. Squinting to read the faded writing, he makes out in the script, "**Cu è Surdu, Orbu e Taci, Campa Cent'anni 'mpaci**"*****. Not understanding what it meant, nor recognizing the language it was written in, the boy let the knocker fall, sending a resounding boom behind the door. Nothing happened for a moment, allowing the boy to stop and think for a second about why he was here in the first place. How the man had intruded so abruptly on his life the day he had shown up the boy's doorstep.

* * *

_The doorbell had rung rather intrusively. Dinner had been served and everyone had finally sat down to eat. My mother, as though she was expecting the bell, had immediately stood up and held up a finger to tell us to wait, a smile spreading across her face. My father and I had stared after her wondering what could've brought this on._

_A deep voice came from the doorway, causing my father to frown. I nearly rolled my eyes at that. He was way too sensitive about her knowing other men. Their voices were muffled by the wall. Unable to contain my curiosity, I got up to see who was at the door. My father, as though finally receiving an excuse to also get up, followed me into the entryway, ready to tell off the man should he be flirting with his wife. Turning the corner, I wish I had remained in the kitchen. Wearing an imposing suit and fedora, the man was taller than I by at least a foot or so, just about my father's height. I couldn't be sure, but what looked suspiciously like a gun was ever so slightly poking from underneath the jacket of the suit. My father, who had been discreetly glancing around the corner of the wall to peek at the entryway, straightened and smiled. I was officially confused as he stepped forward to shake hands with the stranger before inviting him to sit down and have dinner with us._

_The man accepted with a small nod, a smirk gracing his lips as he walked past both of them. When he saw me, he slowed for a moment, what looked like surprise gracing his features before falling back into that smirk. He briefly nodded to me before continuing into the kitchen and sitting down in my chair. I barely registered what had happened before he began to eat my untouched food. Neither my father nor my mother seemed to object, my mother simply getting another chair and plate out for me, the smile never leaving her face._

_I sat and ate in silence as they talked, attempting to glean any information on what was going on. All I gathered was that the man was important and he was simply known as "Reborn", stating he had been rechristened on the day he received his position. I gradually lost interest as I realized that none of it seemed to relate to me in any way whatsoever._

_I was washing the dishes – the adults had relocated to the living room – when I noticed a pamphlet on the table. It was colorful and advertised a school for gifted children. I nearly dropped the plate I was holding when I read that. But I mean really! Gifted? Me? Had my parents finally lost it with the last report card? I was pretty sure an F, three D-, and two D+ hardly counted as gifted! I sighed, already foreseeing the disappointed looks on my parents' faces when the man told them I wasn't what the school was looking for._

_I finished washing up, and went into the living room to excuse myself for the night. When I entered, the man immediately stopped what he was saying and shifted his attention to me. My mother and father also turned to look at me, placing all six eyes on me. I felt a small blush begin to color my cheeks at the attention and mumbled a goodnight. As I turned to flee, the man called for me to come back. I stopped on the stair, a mere four steps from the safety of my bedroom, gazing longingly at my haven from the world._

_Turning around, I slipped, falling down the stairs and landing right in front of the doorway to the living room. The previous blush came back as I tried to get my feet under me and stand up. My face burning at the clumsy display I had just shown the man, I stepped forward into the room. I expected him to retract the call for me to come back, saying there was no way that someone so clumsy could be gifted, that it was the mark of one who could never succeed. Instead, his face was unreadable, as he beckoned me forward. Looking at my parents as if asking for permission and receiving nods in return, he reached into his jacket and brought out a case that held seven rings. He held them before me. All I could think was that they looked fragile and if I held one, I would surely drop and break them. A small smile twitched on his lips as though he could read my mind and see the possibly overdramatic image in my head of me falling and all of the rings shattering into countless pieces._

_He told me to just hold them in my hand, one at a time, and think of the thing I value most, the thing I would protect with my Dying Will. I blinked twice, trying to figure out why he had placed such emphasis on the last two words, before shrugging and taking the first. I grabbed the red one, the stone set in the middle gleaming slightly. There was a very simplistic drawing of what appeared to be a storm in the middle with a crest at the top and a word on the band beneath it. I couldn't understand the word written, but it read __**Vongola**__. I held it as gently as I could, determined not to break it. I concentrated as hard as I could on the one thing I valued the most: my family and friends. Admittedly, my family was slightly tense (*cough*dad*cough*) and I didn't have too many people I could consider friends, but those I did I treasured with everything I had. Kyoko especially. She was always nice, even when everyone else made fun of me for bad grades and my clumsiness. Her smile was my ray of sunshine in this dark world I was trapped in. With all of this in mind, I concentrated. To my surprise, there was a slight reaction with the ring. It shone just the slightest bit brighter, something reminiscent of a Flame flickering at the edges. I dropped it in surprise; luckily, the man – Reborn, I remind myself – was already there to catch it. There was a curious undertone to the smirk on his face as it grew larger._

_Reborn looked at the ring for another second or two before giving it back to me and asking me to concentrate even harder. I did but there was never more than the slight flicker. Reborn finally sighed as he took it from me. He excused himself, telling my parents that yes, I may have a little potential, but it wasn't what they were looking for. My mother's face nearly broke my heart as I saw it fall into the usual look of disappointment and my father… he wouldn't even look at me. Reborn was walking out the door when something deep within me pulled hard. It wasn't like anything else I had felt and I just followed the pull wherever it took me._

_I walked from the living room and followed Reborn into the entryway. He looked at me before going back to putting his shoes on. I walked past him and stood between him and the door. I was freaking out, wondering why I was standing between this intimidating man who had already deemed me worthless and the door. Reborn asked me to move. My mouth, still following the orders of whatever led me to stand where I was, refused. Upon asking me why I wouldn't move, I managed to regain control of my mouth and honestly replied I didn't know, that there was something that compelled me to do this. Reborn actually looked thoughtful and asked me what else this feeling was telling me. To my surprise, I pointed at the box of rings he had tucked back into his jacket and asked him to show me them again. Humoring me, he pulled them out._

_I reached forward as if in a daze and grabbed the blue ring, repeating what I had done with the red one, once again causing a small flicker of Flame across the surface. Reborn was no longer disinterested, looking at me intently from where he was tying his shoes as I nodded and replaced it before picking up the yellow one. I repeated the same thing on that ring before doing the same to the purple, green, and indigo rings. The whole time, Reborn had been standing straighter and straighter each time I lit a ring, as if waiting for something. As I replaced the indigo ring, I paused, feeling a sense of urgency as I picked up the final ring._

_It was different from any of the others. It was a duller color with small chips the same color as the other rings on outside with the words __**Vongola Famiglia**__ written across the bands. There was another compulsion from me as I put on the ring; the weight felt familiar and comforting. Reborn now looked at me with rapt attention, not blatant as with most people but I could feel his burning gaze. I took a deep breath and released it, allowing a small smile to spread across my face and once more thought about what I valued most. A fire rushed through my veins, setting my body alight with warmth that made me feel safer than I had ever felt before. I opened my eyes just in time to see the ring explode in orange light, the whole stone igniting with a brilliance that lit up the darkened entryway. I saw small colors beyond it as the other rings blazed in response to the orange one._

_It only lasted a moment and left me tired and dizzy, but I felt a fulfillment school never gave me. Reborn was still staring at me as I took off the ring and put it back into the box. The daze I had been in had disappeared when the ring had ignited, leaving me sheepish as the events of the past few minutes came back to me in all too clear focus. I stammered out an apology and fled to my room to escape the stare that burned into my back as I fled. I heard the door close as Reborn walked out of the house. I fell asleep soon after, exhausted and filled with the memory of the Flame that had burned so brightly._

_A few days later, I had received a letter of acceptance into the school, giving me half a day to pack and say goodbye before my father drove me to the gates._

* * *

A sudden cold wind blew across the grounds, causing the boy to shiver and huddle deeper into his orange hoodie, the number 27 stitched over the pockets. The door slowly opened, and a rather familiar face appeared, leaning on the door. A grin appeared on the face and the boy couldn't help but flinch at the rather scary image. The curly sideburns, rather comical on anyone else, were somewhat threatening when the man had a fedora pulled low enough to send a shadow over his eyes. He was still in the same suit he had been in when he had visited the boy's home, causing the boy to wonder if he ever wore anything less… intimidating. The man moved slightly, as if inviting the boy in to look around. Taking a very cautious step forward, always keeping the man in sight, the boy gripped his drawstring bag tighter and blinked as the interior of the building came into focus.

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**A/N**

**Word Count: 2,450**

*** - Sicilian proverb: "He who is deaf, blind, and silent will live a hundred years in peace". Refers to Omertà**

**Slightly irked that FanFiction doesn't allow certain fonts (had some cool effects in the original on Word)... But it doesn't really change my story so I'll get over it. See you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Welcome back! Happy to see this got some attention. Thank you for everyone who read this! Well, we ended up with a snow day due to a Winter Weather Advisory, so I found quite a bit of free time on my hands (couldn't fall back asleep and I get up around 5:30) and thought, "Why not make another chapter?" So thank the paranoid B.O.E. for this one!**

**DISCLAIMER: Haven't gotten anything published and am a terrible artist... Definitely do not own it.**

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2.

The boy had to blink twice to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The interior seemed to be many times larger than the exterior suggested, the ceiling almost unable to be seen at the very top of the structure. There were countless flights of stairs crossing either wall, presenting two very distinct sides with countless doors on every level. The walls themselves seemed to stretch forever before ending and forming an archway at the end, leading to an unknown area. There was also a spiral staircase in the center, leading to just below the ceiling before branching out into two walkways leading to either side of the room. None of the staircases on either side seemed to lead all the way up, making the spiral staircase the only way to reach the uppermost floors.

In between the staircases were eight hallways, not counting the one at the end. The one on the boy's right had an archway colored red with a simple symbol of a storm while the one on his left was colored blue with what appeared to be a symbol for rain. It was the same all down the grand hall with the right side going red, yellow, green and then white and the left side going blue, purple, indigo and black. The archway at the very end was orange. The boy stumbled forward in his awe, nearly falling from the jerky movement. Lowering his gaze, he noticed the floor was covered with various crests. He recognized one as the crest that had been on the rings he had held at his house.

While he had been staring, he hadn't noticed Reborn coming up behind him until the door closed with an echoing boom. The boy jumped with a small _hieeee_ escaping him. As he held his chest and the racing heart within, he felt a shoe plant itself in his back and send him sprawling forward. Picking himself up off the ground and rubbing his scraped elbows, the boy looked at the offending male with reproach. "Hurry up, Tsuna," the man commanded as he set off for the end of the hallway. Hurrying after the man, Tsuna couldn't help but allow a smile to grace his rather soft, feminine features anew as he continued to ogle the building in amazement.

Reborn continued to speak as he walked, the bored tour guide, "Don't go in there, you'll die because you're so weak. Same for that one. And that one. And… You know what? Just stay out of all those hallways unless you want to lose your life. Your room will be one of those on the right side; boys on the right, girls on the left. The other students are currently relaxing since it's their day off, but you'll meet them tomorrow. Rule one: Don't act weak. You will get killed. Rule two: Follow Rule one. That's about it. The hallways at the end are safe. The black one leads to the offices for paperwork and the nurse. That's where we'll sign you in. The white hall leads to the cafeteria. It's a non-aggression zone with punishment for violators. Don't go anywhere you aren't allowed. Especially the basement. Note you don't see any stairs leading down. There's a reason."

Tsuna just gulped as it went on. He wasn't sure how to react to such a foreboding introduction, the faint scent blood lust in the air beginning to nip at his heels now that he was aware of it. They drew to the end of the hallway, turning into the black archway. Despite the coloring of the arch, the hallway was still well lit. It branched off into two, a sign with a red cross pointing to the right and another to the left with a stack of papers on it. Tsuna noted the simplistic symbols with relief, knowing even he couldn't mess them up. Reborn stopped at the crossroad while Tsuna continued walking to the left. Reborn sighed behind him and yanked him back by his collar as something right below where he had been standing blew up. Tsuna let out another _hieeeeeee_ at that, earning himself a shake from Reborn to shut him up.

Dropping Tsuna, Reborn reached out to the sign and pulled at the edge of the symbols. They came off easily, proving to only be stickers and showing the symbols had been switched. Tsuna's jaw just about dropped. _What is wrong with this school?_ "Many things," Reborn said, as if he had heard Tsuna's silent question. Reborn set off to the right, leaving Tsuna to once more pick himself up and follow.

After a few more minutes of silently walking, the hallway opened into a great room full of people working at various desks around the room, what Tsuna assumed to be interns rushing from desk to desk, transferring piles of paperwork taller than Tsuna. The room, despite its chaos, was organized into different sectors, labeled by yet another symbol representing their departments. There was a finance section as well as an administration section with yet another section for personnel management and damages each. This time the symbols for each section were accompanied by a label in the same language Tsuna had found inscribed on the rings. He followed Reborn through the chaos until they came across a desk where a woman was busy writing down something someone was saying from the other end of the phone. Tsuna blinked once, then twice. He realized something he hadn't the moment he walked in and felt stupider for it.

They were all dressed in black and white outfits. Every person in the room. They all had dark skin, pink hair, and black masks. They were all of the same basic appearance. Tsuna grew dizzy as he tried to track just one person across the room only to find himself following a similar, but not quite the same, woman going in the opposite direction. He soon gave up when he realized Reborn was setting him up for his accommodations.

The woman quickly typed something into the computer before looking up at Tsuna. "Name?" she asked.

Tsuna quickly focused and answered, "Sawada Tsunayoshi." The woman nodded and typed the name into the computer. Scrolling down the screen, she clicked a couple of times before grabbing a piece of paper and writing a number on it.

"You'll be staying in this room," she said. "The first number is the floor and the second number is the door."

Giving him the number, she turned back to her work, dismissing him. Tsuna turned to see how to get back only to find that Reborn had already left. When, he had no idea. Taking a deep breath, he braved the crowds to find his way back to the grand hall.

* * *

By the time he'd arrived, Tsuna had been pushed and bumped countless times, staying off the floor by sheer force of will. It really was rather busy in those offices. How they never collided was a mystery to Tsuna. Sighing, he realized the first floor stairs were all the way at the beginning, near the door. Tsuna glanced at the numbers the woman had written before cracking a small smile. It wasn't exact, but he was on floor 2, door 7 – his lucky numbers.

Climbing the stairs to the first floor, he paused for a second on the landing looking at the doors to the other rooms that seemed to be so innocent. But if Reborn's introduction was anything to go by, and something in him told him it was true, no one here was truly safe. All dangerous. All no doubt as intimidating as Reborn on some level. Sighing, Tsuna continued to the second level.

Walking to the seventh door, he noticed it was locked, and he didn't have a key. In fact, there wasn't even a space for a key, just a small panel that could fit a hand. Not having anything to lose, Tsuna put his hand on the panel. It lit up and scanned his hand. An automated voice asked him to say a password. Thinking for a moment, Tsuna blushed before saying something that seemed to just pop rather cheesily into his head, words that seemed to fit into his mouth so naturally that he barely knew he was saying them: Protect the Family.

"Welcome back, Sawada Tsunayoshi," the voice welcomed, opening the door with a click. Tsuna walked in, finally putting down his bag. The bedroom many times larger than it had originally seemed like the school. There was one bed that took up much of the center of the left wall with a desk taking up the corner to the back right. There was a window on the far wall, partially covered by gray curtains, which gave a beautiful view of the grounds. It shimmered slightly, as though it was made of liquid suspended in air. Other than that, the room was pretty barren. The furniture and the floor were some kind of dark, polished hardwood with a gray rug covering the floor just around the end of the bed.

Exploring a little more, Tsuna found a bathroom and a large closet. Satisfied and slightly shocked at the sudden upgrade to first class from what now seemed like his third class room at home, Tsuna kicked his sneakers off and sank onto the bed. There didn't seem to be any kind of color scheme overall. There were only shades of gray, creating a very boring room.

Tsuna stood back up, noting that the clock next to his bed reported it was now 7:30 p.m., and went to check his closet for clothes. There seemed to only be two kinds of clothing: day clothes which consisted of gray colored shirts, ties, and handkerchief to stick in the black suit itself – basically what Reborn wore without the fedora and occasional bits of yellow that colored his suit; and night clothes were simply gray, yet fit perfectly on Tsuna. He had a feeling everything in the closet would fit him perfectly. Slightly disappointed with the lack of orange present in the room, Tsuna got dressed into the night clothes and settled into bed.

Noting the lights that had turned on the moment he'd entered had already begun to dim, Tsuna closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

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**Word Count: 1,722**

**That's a wrap. Sorry for it being shorter and for making him go to bed so early, but I didn't know what else he could do on his first day. Pretend he was worn out from the overwhelming presence of the school. See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**THANK YOU FOR THE ATTENTION! Especially to those who leave a review. Now I know what authors mean when they say reviews make them happy. I couldn't get the goofy smile off my face. So I dedicate this to procrastination and a weird enthusiasm to get chapters out faster due to my reviewers.**

**DISCLAIMER: I would've shown what Tsuna looks like in the future... So no, I don't own it.**

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3.

Tsuna awoke to a blaring alarm, one that echoed in his new room. "'Ive more min'es," he yawned, curling deeper under his covers, reveling in the warmth. The sound still didn't stop, as persistent as the fire alarms at school. He reached behind him to tap the clock on top, where the snooze button usually was. There wasn't a button.

With the sound still going off, Tsuna flipped over with a groan and half-opened one eye to see where his hand was hitting. There didn't seem to be any kind of button, just the smooth machine with letters blinking out 6:30. Grumbling, Tsuna fell out of bed before standing up to give the clock a piece of his mind in a rather violent fashion. The moment he stood up, the noise stopped. Tsuna just glared at the offending machine, noting that now that he was up he might as well just get ready, which was probably the point.

Getting dressed in his drab uniform, Tsuna prepared to face his new life with a yawn on his lips. For the record, even the socks and boxers were gray. The lack of color was beginning to depress Tsuna. Slipping on loafers, Tsuna opened the door and let himself into the hallway. All around him was a flurry of noise as other students emerged from their rooms.

Noticing they were all heading towards the white hallway of the cafeteria, Tsuna quickly ran down the stairs. Unfortunately, his shoe caught the edge of a stair and he ungracefully tumbled down to the ground floor. Picking himself up, he brushed off the dirt and once more set off for the cafeteria.

If Tsuna had thought the ground floor was loud, then the cafeteria was deafening. There was one exchange of "Voiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" and "Shut up, scum!" that was constantly echoing across the room. The cafeteria seating was pretty straightforward and Tsuna couldn't seem to discern any kind of hierarchy. Shrugging, he stepped into line behind a tall boy with a pineapple hairstyle. A small chill ran down Tsuna's back as he did his best not to attract the boy's attention, a gut feeling telling him that would be a _very_ bad idea. Head down, Tsuna grabbed his breakfast, just grabbing a piece of toast with strawberry jam and a small container of orange juice. It seemed you didn't actually need to pay for anything here; you take what you need and more if you want.

Spotting a table generally clear of these dangerous people, Tsuna kept silent, hoping beyond hope to simply stay under the radar of any bullies. He didn't need the deadly kind after him; the normal ones were bad enough. A clatter of a tray dropping onto the table and someone dropping into the seat across from him brought Tsuna's eyes into contact with a dark brown pair.

The boy looked about Tsuna's age, but he was significantly taller with black hair. A smile was beaming at him, the look seeming too carefree for the kind of place the school was; it would've scared Tsuna if it hadn't been for the calming feeling that came off of the boy. He didn't incite fear or intimidation, but radiated with an inner peace. Tsuna relaxed a bit, letting go of the taut wire tension he'd felt since leaving his room. "Hey! My name's Yamamoto Takeshi! What's yours?" the boy queried.

Tsuna went to open his mouth when he felt a wave of cold around him, glares of jealousy piercing him. Shutting his mouth again, Tsuna took a look from both corners of his eyes, noting that there were several glares directed towards him that hadn't been there before Yamamoto had sat down. Tsuna sighed, tired and no longer willing to resist the inevitable bullying. Instead, he tried to ignore Yamamoto.

Yamamoto, smile dimming slightly at being ignored, tried again, "Interesting place, isn't it? I certainly didn't expect to be surrounded by such intense people. But they're fun to be around! Especially that one guy who keeps blowing up at me. Or the one that keeps yelling really loudly. I wonder if they're any fun to play with." Tsuna now openly stared at the boy, wondering if he had perhaps gotten dropped on his head one too many times as a child. How could anyone be this nonchalant about the whole bloodthirsty situation!

Yamamoto laughed at the boy's expression, but his mind was thinking hard. In his eyes, the boy wasn't anything too special, but there was just the slightest pull about him, something that had caught Yamamoto's attention in the first place. It wasn't as strong as some other pulls all around the cafeteria, but it was insistent and innocent, a strange combination. "So, what did you say your name was?"

Tsuna answered without a second thought, still caught up in Yamamoto's pace, "Sawada Tsunayoshi. Friends call me Tsuna though." _And Reborn_, Tsuna reminded himself silently.

"Okay then, Tsuna," Yamamoto said with a bright smile, "I guess this makes us friends!"

Tsuna blinked and couldn't help the blush that crept into his cheeks. It was a new feeling to have a friend so easily. Mumbling thanks, to which he received another laugh, Tsuna focused on eating. The whole time Yamamoto wouldn't stop talking, whether about sports or curious characters around the school.

All of the sudden, a knife flew across the room, planting itself tip down into the table. Tsuna toppled out of his seat in surprise, but it didn't stop him from seeing something that reminded him where he was. Yamamoto had whirled around the moment the knife had landed and taken out a bamboo sword, a cold aura coming over him as he prepared himself. A quick twitch of his wrist put a shining blade in his hands. Tsuna's eyes grew big at the sight, but that was nothing compared to the way Yamamoto deflected every knife coming at them with scary precision. He had forgotten where he was; this wasn't a regular school after all. Even the nicest of people were deadly when necessary. Tsuna felt his heart sink at the realization that he'd made friends with such a dangerous being.

The assault was over as quickly as it started, the only reminder it had occurred at all being the knife stabbed deep into the table. Yamamoto sheathed the sword and sat down again, the cold aura gone, replaced by a cheerful smile. Tsuna tried to put on a smile as well, but it was weaker. Yamamoto began chatting about sports again while Tsuna uneasily finished eating in silence, nodding every once in a while to show he was listening.

* * *

When breakfast finally came to a close, in accordance with a bell, everyone stood up and filed into the main hall. There were eight people standing in the middle, a circle with seven pillars in front of them on a platform. Each pillar was about eight feet high with a small opening halfway down that seemed to hold some sort of stone. The students crowded around the closer edge of the circle, leaving the back, where the eight adults were, open. Someone drew out a gun and shot at the ceiling, quieting the group almost immediately. "Quiet down," said a menacing voice. Tsuna felt a shock go through him as he realized it was Reborn… with a gun… threatening them. Tsuna suddenly wished he had never gotten up this morning.

A woman with a very large and fluffy hat stepped forward, "Welcome to the **M**agical **A**cademy **F**or **I**ntelligent **A**dolescents! We are glad to have such a bright and budding crop of new students. My name is Luce. I am your head teacher. Now that all the students have been gathered – some of you have traveled quite a ways – I am glad to announce we will now be picking class assignments. With some semblance of order, you will all come up and place your hands on a pillar and attempt to light it. If it fails, simply move on to the next one and try again. When you do get one, find the corresponding instructor. It is much like your entrance exam, so all of you will pass. Now, let the picking begin!" Her smile, which seemed omnipresent, grew even brighter. In her white and gold-trimmed garb, she resembled an angel. Tsuna couldn't help but stare at her, knowing there was more to this woman than there appeared to be. Her short dark green hair moved slightly as the woman – Luce – met Tsuna's eyes, the eye with a small flower tattoo closing in a brief wink before she retook her position in line.

There was a bit of chaos as the students tried to figure out how they were going to decide the order for choosing. A couple of explosions were heard as the yelling grew violent. Eventually, one student, lazily dressed with feathers stitched into the collar of his uniform, stepped forward, his glare, combined with the scars covering much of his face, splitting the crowd before him. He went through the pillars one by one, managing to light the red and orange one. The orange one was stronger so he took his place behind Luce with a scowl on his face. Immediately after, a student with long white hair lit up the blue pillar with a yell of, "Voiiiiiii!" It continued from there on, students going up one by one.

Tsuna noticed a couple of students created very large Flames for their respective colors, causing the whole pillar to blaze. Notable students for the red pillar included a boy with a tiara and blond bangs covering his eyes, a delinquent-looking, silver-haired boy with a scowl on his face, a relaxed looking boy with limp, red hair, and a girl walking around with rather funny-looking inflated rings. Blue pillar students were the boy who had gone second, Yamamoto, a scary-looking boy who looked too old to still be in school, and a cute girl with long, blue hair. The yellow pillar blazed for a student with a white hair and a bandage across his nose, a creepy looking green-haired boy with a ripped up rabbit, a rather-scary man who was blatantly gay, and a boy with glasses and red eyes. The purple pillar lit up for a scary girl who had thrown her fan at one of the students behind her as well as a boy with a better-than-you glare, his suit loosely hanging on his shoulders. It also lit up for a boy with wavy green hair, who had rather narcissistically flipped his hair as he took his place behind the instructors.

The green pillar had held surprises though. Tsuna never would've thought such a cowardly looking cow could have made such a bright Flame. Along with him, a mountain of a boy, a boy with a large mustache, and a see-through boy with a tattoo under his right eye all set the pillar ablaze. Tsuna didn't understand what was with the see-through boy. Perhaps he was too weak to go to school and came by hologram instead. It at least made sense. The next pillar drew the most fear from Tsuna. The indigo pillar had flared up for the boy with a pineapple hairstyle he'd seen in the lunch line, a girl with a patch over one eye with a similar hairstyle, a boy with an expressionless face and huge frog hat, a rather flirty boy with glasses and a hat, and a boy with a demon mask over his face. They all gave Tsuna the creeps.

The final pillar, the orange one, had only lit up for a tiny percentage of the people so far in comparison to the others. There were only five people on the other side: the boy with scars on his face who'd gone first, a boy who was smiling while eating marshmallows, a young girl who looked like a young version of Luce, a meek boy with red hair, and a boy with sandy blond hair and tattoos along his arms. It was definitely the most intimidating group. They seemed to ooze superiority and charisma.

The line had been thinning for quite a while, leaving Tsuna as one of the last entrants. He took a deep breath and started forward for the pillars. He felt all eyes on him and wondered if everyone else had felt all this pressure, felt their throats close up in fear. Tsuna was shaking by the time he'd managed to enter the circle, mind in a panic. He stepped up to light the red pillar, noting there was a round rock connected to some sort of holder inside the niche, reminiscent of a pacifier. _Once I do this, I'm officially part of this_, Tsuna thought with trepidation as he reached out a shaking hand, _no turning back. I'm going to be one of them._ Tsuna moved to light it only to be plagued by the cold look that had crossed Yamamoto's face earlier when he had deflected the knives. Failing to light it, he moved on to the next pillar. The memory of whispers and glares in the cafeteria messed up his concentration again, leaving the pillar dark. Tsuna shook worse and worse as he systematically failed all the pillars until he was at the last one. The eyes boring into him from the teachers as well as the entire student body broke Tsuna's thoughts once more. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna tried to concentrate on what he values most, attempting to summon the trance he had entered the first time he'd done this. He reached forward to touch the stone. As he began to put forth his determination, the cool ease that Yamamoto had wielded his sword in the cafeteria once more came into his mind's eye, breaking his resolve and once more failing to light the pillar.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi!" a voice called for him. A stunned Tsuna robotically turned towards the sound, the full implications of what he had failed to do hitting him like a punch to the stomach. Six of the teachers were looking at him, a disappointment in their faces he easily recognized when he failed to do even the most simple of tasks at home. Luce wore a look of confusion while Reborn's face was carefully blank. "Can you or can you not light a stone?" The speaker was a woman with dark blue hair and a visor over her eyes. Tsuna's hands shook as he tried to regain his voice which had escaped at the aggressive tone of the woman's voice.

The room fell silent as everyone waited for Tsuna's answer. Reborn gave an audible sigh as nothing was said for several seconds. He stepped forward, not making eye contact with the boy, "Lal, he has _it_. He is one of _them_."

The woman, Lal, met Reborn's look with reproach, "Then why doesn't he just light one then? He must've done it before if he passed the entrance exam. And if he really has _it,_ then this should be simple."

Reborn had no response, a slight frown crossing his face. Tsuna was waiting for them to kick him out. He'd obviously failed to display what they were looking for, so the next step was for them to ask him to leave. To his surprise, Luce stepped forward. "Reborn, you're certain he's one of _them_ right?" Reborn nodded. "Then, I'll take him. He will be worth it. I just need permission from the rest of you to do so. Will you allow me to take Sawada into my class?" The teachers hesitated a moment before nodding, trusting their head to make the right decision.

"Then it's settled. Sawada, you'll be in the Sky class."

* * *

**A/N**

**Word Count: 2,622**

**Little longer this time! I'm trying to keep my chapters at 2,000 words or above, a quick read while still having time to play around. So how will this go? Will Tsuna's life in the academy now begin? Who are _they_? When will everyone else appear? Why am I asking you? (;p)**

**See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**So, I'm happy! We got six inches of snow this weekend and I went skiing, nearly froze my last two toes off and drank hot chocolate. So that is my attempt to explain why I won't update on weekends... And I did mean to update yesterday, but then my teachers hit me with a whole bunch of tests... Anyways, onto the story! Thank you for the support for this story!**

**Guest: I don't plan on putting any kind of romance in this, so sorry! But I hope you'll read it anyways!**

**DISCLAIMER: Never gotten a penny for my work... So don't own it.**

* * *

4.

Tsuna wasn't sure if he was glad he was allowed to stay or not. The rest of the students passed with relative ease, isolating him as the "Loser Who Couldn't Light His Flame". The teachers had then let the students go to get lunch, as the process had taken quite a while. Tsuna now sat hunched over his lunch tray as he felt tears prick at the edges of his eyes, the knowledge he was sure to be bullied heavy on his heart. It was supposed to be a second chance to possibly break free of his previous curse of uselessness. And he had thrown it away.

No one sat near him, not even Yamamoto. Tsuna couldn't blame him. It would probably ruin his reputation to be seen with Tsuna. _Dame-Tsuna_. Then again, Tsuna wasn't completely sure he wanted to see him. Yamamoto had really scared him earlier; that cold side of him, the cruel and calculating one, was exactly what Tsuna had been trying to avoid. Yet he had been so happy, so cheerful talking about sports. Which side was the real Yamamoto anyways? Duality wasn't something Tsuna could handle right now.

A pool of dread formed in his stomach when he heard snickers rising from the table across from him. A couple of the boys turned around, a wicked look in their eyes. Exchanging smirks, a small barrage of food and silverware flew at Tsuna. Tsuna fell backwards with a surprised _hieeeee_ as the projectiles came close, barely avoiding getting himself stabbed by the flying knives and forks. The food splattered on his suit, ruining it as he crashed to the floor with a thump.

Rubbing the bump beginning to develop on his head, Tsuna started to get up only to be kicked back down by some people behind him. Tsuna stayed on the ground, curling up as he sensed people surround him. There wasn't going to be anyone to save him here, no one to show up with band-aids after they were done to cheer him up. Jeers and insults rose from the back of the crowd, encouraging his tormentors. A kick to his stomach prompted his hands to cover it, leaving his head exposed. One foot collided with his nose, bringing blood forth. The kicks continued viciously, fueled by the sight of blood and hitting every exposed spot they could. Tsuna had already let the tears start falling, not caring who saw them by now. He had no pride he needed to salvage; that had left when he hadn't passed the easiest of tests. A growl from the back of the crowd made many of the group stop and turn to look.

Screams started up from the back, quickly followed by grunts of pain. A flash of a long coat and a glare could be seen between the people around him. As the person came closer, Tsuna realized that the boy was growling something about herbivores and crowding. The crowd quickly began to disperse, those who could running from the rampaging boy. Tsuna felt the bullies desist in kicking him and took that opportunity to crawl under the table. Going out the other side, Tsuna ran for the main hall while everyone in the cafeteria began to get caught up in the fight.

* * *

Breathing harshly, Tsuna slowed as he neared the stairs. Climbing the two flights, he found his door, placing his palm on the panel and huffing out his password. Safe in the gray tones of his room, Tsuna went to the bathroom to take stock of his injuries. There didn't seem to be any major ones, just some bruising and his bleeding nose, which had stopped on his run to his room. _And red eyes_, he thought miserably as he carefully wiped the offending parts. _I truly am pathetic. Why did I even come?_ Stripping off his clothes, Tsuna took a shower, revealing the bruising to be more extensive than he had previously thought as well as cuts where the loafers had missed a direct hit and instead done glancing damage. With a heart-felt sigh, Tsuna finished up his shower and decided to go to bed, hoping that the day would just end.

Climbing into bed, Tsuna tried to sleep, but his exhausted, beaten body wouldn't rest. Giving up after some time, Tsuna got redressed in the clean clothes, hating the gray color of the uniform. He sat curled on the chair at the desk in the corner, thinking about everything he had been hoping to avoid – bullies, mockery, failure, loneliness – before coming to the conclusion he had failed completely and he may as well leave. Quite frankly, he wanted to avoid the disappointed faces of his family if he could, but even those would be better than here. Gathering what few things he'd come with, Tsuna walked out of his room, drawstring bag over his shoulder. He was a little stiff from the earlier beating, but it wasn't anything big. His nose was fine now, the blood cleaned away. Overall, he'd be well enough for what he had in mind. Instead of walking towards the cafeteria where there were already sounds of students eating dinner, he turned towards the great doors that had let him in just yesterday. It already seemed so long ago, a mere 24 hours. But Tsuna wasn't going to take abuse like this every day; it would be worse than the bullies at his old school! So he would leave.

Tsuna finally managed to push the huge doors open, having an even bigger sense of respect towards Reborn for being able to open one so easily. But that was it, wasn't it? Reborn and everyone else here were bigger, stronger, and probably smarter than he could ever hope to be. He probably got in on a fluke, a random reaction that had a one in a million chance of occurring. Tsuna walked across the courtyard towards the gates. His heart was gradually growing heavier for some reason, a feeling like something was missing growing larger as he walked further from the school. Tsuna stood before the gates, taking a breath as he prepared to pass the gates and walk all the way back to his house, knowing there was no way to call his parents to come get him. Maybe someone would've done it if he'd gone to the offices, but he was already here so there was no reason to turn back. And yet Tsuna took one last look back.

As he looked at the very special place he'd almost belonged in, he didn't notice a huge cloud of dust appearing along the wall. He didn't even hear the whoop of, "EXTREME!" as the source neared. All he knew was that one moment he was looking at the school in a melancholic way and the next he was flying, feeling as though he'd been hit by a train. Tsuna flew a few feet, barely managing in his surprise to keep hold of his bag during his flight.

Tsuna lay on his back, trying to figure out what exactly had happened. _Train? Bus?_ He blinked a couple times, the dying sun once more lighting up the stained windows of the school. It was the first thing he'd noticed when he'd first arrived yesterday. _They really are pretty…_

A shadow fell across Tsuna's face as he looked up at the culprit. There was a slight shine from the dying sun outlining a rather large figure. The face was familiar… Ah! It was one of the people who'd made the yellow pillar blaze really brightly. Up close, Tsuna could see that he had white eyebrows and gray eyes, the bandage still sitting on his nose. Once the face had ascertained that Tsuna had not died in his unfortunate flight, a bandage-wrapped arm entered his vision. "Let me help you up to the EXTREME!" the boy yelled, making Tsuna immediately put his hands up to protect his ear drums. The boy grabbed Tsuna's hand as he went to cover his ears and hauled him up easily, making Tsuna feel like a rag doll. "Sorry for running into you to the EXTREME! I was in the middle of an EXTREME run and I EXTREMELY didn't notice you there," the boy continued, oblivious to the volume of his voice. Tsuna winced as he nodded, realizing that the voice wasn't really blocked out even when he was covering his ears.

"My name's Sasagawa Ryohei! Nice to meet you to the EXTREME!" the boy yelled, a smile on his face.

"S-Sawada Tsunayoshi," Tsuna replied, beginning to adjust to the volume. But there was something familiar about his name… What was it? Sasagawa… Sasagawa… Oh! Kyoko's last name was Sasagawa. Tsuna was sure that was a coincidence though. But now that he thought about it, she had mentioned an older brother before…

"Ah! Do you know Kyoko to the EXTREME?" Ryohei yelled, beginning to jog in place.

Tsuna nodded, feeling a slight sinking feeling at meeting his crush's brother. It certainly wasn't the best situation Tsuna could've met him under. "Her brother, right? She talks about you a lot."

"Yeah! I'm her older brother to the EXTREME!" Ryohei yelled, the smile growing wider. "She EXTREMELY talked about you, too!"

Tsuna blushed. "R-really?"

Ryohei bobbed his head up and down. "Yup! Tsuna, the _Dame_, clumsy student to the EXTREME! She said you were nice though and you always EXTREMELY tried your best at everything!" Tsuna was conflicted. On one hand, he was disheartened to hear the same words everyone else said out of the mouth of his crush, but on the other, she thought he was nice and determined. "She also said you were extremely lonely. And that you extremely needed a friend or two," Ryohei continued in a quieter, more thoughtful voice, which was at a normal volume for anyone else. Tsuna blushed at that and started to feel uncomfortable. It was one thing to live his life out and quite another to have to talk about it.

"I-It's no big deal," Tsuna muttered. "But it was nice meeting you, Sasagawa. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing."

"Onii-san!" the boy said. "Call me Onii-san to the EXTREME! It's too formal to call me by my last name. I'm an EXTREME big brother to all my friends," he declared with a grin.

Tsuna had a sense of déjà vu. Yamamoto had done the same thing, calling Tsuna by his first name and declaring them friends. The tiniest of smiles found its way onto Tsuna's face as he nodded, "I will, but only if you call me Tsuna." His eyes burned a bit as he looked at the boy; he rubbed them thinking it must be from the light Ryohei seemed to be radiating.

Ryohei nodded, eyes lighting up – _somewhat literally,_ Tsuna thought seeing a flash of yellow cross the boy's gray eyes – and punched the air, shouting, "Of course to the EXTREME!"

"Why don't you go back to doing what you were doing then, Ryo—Onii-san," Tsuna corrected, feeling the energy coming off of Ryohei begin to infect him as well.

"Sure, to the EXTREME!" Ryohei began to jog in place, before stopping and turning around. "Hey, Tsuna? What were you doing just standing there, spaced out in front of the gates to the extreme?"

Tsuna wasn't sure how to answer. He felt as though he was sitting on the edge of a cliff, and this answer would either push him off or save him. It was a strange feeling, one he didn't understand yet, but it told him to tell the truth. Besides, Tsuna didn't want to lie to his crush's brother. "I… was leaving."

"Why, to the extreme, would you ever do that?" Ryohei said, his tone more careful than usual. Ryohei seemed to only stop yelling when he was serious, but he didn't seem to realize it created an unknown feeling within him that Tsuna couldn't identify, one that made his heart hurt. No one ever asked why he did anything; he gave up and everyone else just carried on.

"W-well, I didn't pass the test," Tsuna said, his throat closing up once more. Ryohei waited, as if knowing there was more to the story. He was rewarded after a few seconds. "A-and why should I stay someplace I'm not wanted? If it's going to be no different than it was before, then I'd rather go back to where the fights aren't guaranteed to kill me."

Ryohei stood in silence for a moment. "What if I said I wanted you here?"

Tsuna was taken aback by the sudden statement. "Huh?"

Ryohei nodded, surer of what he was saying, "I extremely don't want you to leave, Tsuna. You just extremely became my friend, so why would I want you to leave? Besides, you do belong here. Anyone who's approved by Kyoko must be a pretty EXTREME guy, so don't give it up just yet. Just keep going to the EXTREME!"

Tsuna surprised himself with a smile, feeling as though he maybe didn't need to leave just yet, "Sure, O-Onii-san. I'll try staying a little longer."

Ryohei nodded, his earlier energy coming back. Waving good-bye, he sped off to finish his nightly run. Tsuna picked up his bag and headed back towards the doors, resolving to give it one more night. At the very top of the building, a face half-covered in a fedora smirked as it watched from the window.

* * *

**A/N**

**Word Count: 2,249**

**So, a little shorter than last time, but at least I got a second person in! Ryohei really is the most motivational person I could think of. He could be his own pep squad! I hope I didn't make him OOC when he got more serious... Read it as if the sentence doesn't have an all-caps EXTREME in it, he's being more serious. I hope to get a better handle on all the characters!**

**See you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**AH! I've finally cracked the 10K word mark (not much, but little victories)! Other news, I wrote a Christmas piece for KHR (shameless advertising... SORRY!), so if you don't mind taking a look, I'd be grateful. Thank you for the support and enjoy the chapter!**

**GUEST: I'm sorry... I just now realized how some parts of this story could be interpreted (I mean, wow, I surprised myself) but unfortunately, it's just Reborn looking out for Tsuna... No romance to be found here... Like I said last time, I hope you'll read this anyways!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't think we ever got to hug Bermuda, so no, I don't own it.**

* * *

5.

Tsuna walked back up to the doors, the smile stuck on his face. Ryohei would probably do well as a motivational figure; his energy was almost contagious. No, life was not better than it had been an hour ago, but at least someone had managed to convince him that it wasn't yet time to give up so easily.

He once more looked at the huge doors that protected the world from the insanity and danger that lay within. He gave a small smile as he realized he was about to willingly throw away a normal life to live in such a world. Perhaps he was crazy, but he actually felt a bit of happiness at the thought. The empty feeling that had begun to appear as he walked out of the school earlier was beginning to fill back up. That was all the proof that Tsuna needed. It was the same as what had allowed him to pass the entrance exam; there was no way that it was a coincidence that this feeling kept driving him back to the school.

Tsuna pushed the doors open, noting that it wasn't nearly as hard as it had been to leave. Wondering if, by even a one percent chance, the school had been attempting to keep him from leaving, Tsuna walked into the main hall. Everyone was still in the cafeteria eating dinner, but Tsuna still didn't feel very hungry. Nor was he masochistic enough to go into a room full of people who would probably beat him again. He began to cross the room to get to the stairs when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Immediately whipping around to see what it was, he saw it was just one of the girls going up to their room.

Tsuna silently berated himself for being so jumpy and began walking to the stairs again. But something was wrong. It was a nagging he couldn't shake, leaving him feeling almost sick. Tsuna glanced around, figuring that it was probably something in the room that made him feel uneasy. Catching sight of someone moving in his peripherals, Tsuna watched a girl climb the staircase towards her room – which appeared to be on the ninth floor – with unease. She looked a little wobbly.

As he continued to watch, she crumpled forwards, hunching over as if in pain. When she didn't get up within a few seconds, Tsuna felt a strange panic fill him and he was running up the stairs to the girl before he could think twice. He took the stairs two at a time. For some reason, he didn't felt winded at all during the run despite his lack of athleticism, but he would think about that later. When Tsuna finally reached her, his breath seemed to catch in his throat. She wasn't moving from where she was curled, arms around her abdomen, except for a very light rise and fall of her chest. Her face was contorted in pain even in her unconsciousness, a small trickle of blood leaking out of the corner of her mouth.

Carefully picking her up, Tsuna started back down the stairs, slower so he wouldn't trip. The moment his feet touched the marble of the main hall, Tsuna began sprinting for the nurse's office. The girl wasn't responding at all except to groan every once in a while from being jostled during the dash.

Tsuna skidded into the black hallway, barely slowing down. At the crossroad, he didn't even glance at the sign, immediately dashing to the left. He was breathing hard by now, but he didn't slow down, even when he saw a huge neon cross above a sliding door in front of him. He ran in, noticing that there weren't any doctors that seemed to be on call. The adrenaline that was pumping through him made its way into his voice as he yelled, "Someone! Anyone! She needs help!"

There was a long pause before someone came out from behind a white curtain, grumbling, "It's always an emergency, isn't it? Why can't you guys just stop getting hurt all the time? I mean, the way you guys swing at each other, it's no surprise someone goes down and doesn't get back up. Why can't it just be a girl for once? They're so much more pleasant to look at." The doctor was tall and wore a long white coat with a suit and tie underneath. He didn't look as though he had shaved for several days, a stubble forming on his chin. Tsuna felt a small shock at how relaxed he was, but it was soon replaced by frustration and just a hint of anger at his lack of seriousness.

"Just help her!" Tsuna yelled at the man. The doctor seemed to perk up at his comment.

A slightly perverted smile crossed his face as he said, "Her? Yes! Finally, a girl! Not a guy!" The doctor removed the girl from Tsuna's arms before his face immediately became serious and much more professional, "What happened?" Tsuna, shocked by the sudden change in personality, stuttered out a half-comprehensible answer about seeing her collapse on the stairs. His whole manner changed as he straightened her onto a bed and began to rush around the room grabbing various bottles and syringes. Tsuna just anxiously stood back and watched as the doctor did his job.

The girl was soon injected with various liquids before being hooked up to an IV. She still looked far too pale and was still barely breathing. A gasp escaped her lips as she woke up, immediately curling up to protect her midsection again. She continued to whimper as the doctor tried to straighten her out, injecting her with what Tsuna assumed were painkillers. A hacking cough racked her body as a small splotch of red appeared on the otherwise white bed. The doctor swore under his breath as he moved around faster.

Countless bottles full of medicines Tsuna couldn't identify flew around the room as the doctor tore through his cabinets looking for one specific bottle. It was a darkened bottle, not having any other label than one strip that said, "Mist". The doctor wasted no time pulling out yet another needle from underneath his coat and sticking it into the bottle. There was some sort of dark bluish liquid inside. It was fluorescent and kept changing from a liquid to a gas. The doctor looked critically at the syringe before growling a couple of words underneath his breath and shaking it, turning the gas back into a liquid. He injected it into the girl before it could change shape again.

With bated breath, the two males watched her.

After several tense seconds, the girl slowly straightened out, still gasping as the pain didn't completely fade. She looked at them rather blearily as the painkillers went to work properly, deadening her senses. The doctor looked at her with an expression of relief crossing his face. "Surprised me again, missy. Save that for when you and I go on a date one of these days," his tone was light and joking, putting a slight smile on the girl's face as she calmed down.

As the girl's eyelid began to close, she whispered, "Mukuro…" before giving in to sleep.

* * *

In the cafeteria, a boy with a very familiar hairstyle immediately jerked his head up. "Nagi," he whispered, concern replacing his usually smug smile. The others at the table were slightly surprised when the boy jumped up, but nodded in understanding at his face. There was only one person who could make the boy look like that: his sister.

The boy ran from the cafeteria, following all traces he could of his sister to figure out where she had gone. The invisible thread that connected the two led him across the main hall and into the black one. The boy frowned as he realized she was once more in the nurse's office before disappearing into a sudden mist.

* * *

Now that Tsuna had time to look at the girl properly, he noticed things he hadn't in his panic. Her uniform was not unlike the male version but there were noticeable differences. Girls wore a short skirt that held places for holsters and pockets. The top was a suit jacket placed over a blouse, probably having more room for weapons on the inside. For shoes, she simply wore a pair of buckled boots. Her dark blue hair was tied back in a spiky, pineapple style. One of her eyes was covered with a patch with a skull on it. Tsuna realized with a shock that she was one of the people who'd managed to light the indigo pillar up really brightly. He looked at the girl, looking so weak on the bed, and wondered how she could've managed such a bright Flame.

Tsuna jumped as mist suddenly materialized in the middle of the room and a boy walked out. _Whoa! Is that even possible?_ Tsuna wondered as he looked at the new arrival. The boy looked very similar to the girl. Possibly a twin? Tsuna didn't know, but he recognized that the boy had also been able to light up the pillar like the girl had, meaning he was at least as strong, if not stronger. The boy ignored Tsuna and immediately went up to the doctor, "What happened, Shamal?"

The doctor looked at the boy who was barely keeping up his calm exterior. He sighed. "She just had trouble again, Mukuro. She's fine now. She's over there if you want to see her."

The boy, Mukuro, went to the bedside and gazed silently at the girl resting before him, her face still pale. He grabbed a chair and sat down, taking her hand in his. Tsuna saw a small indigo light ignite between the hands. The light continued for a little while longer before Mukuro dropped it with a sigh and leaned back in the chair, looking exhausted. As for the girl, she looked like she was comfortably sleeping.

"You can take her off the IV, Shamal," Mukuro said to the doctor. "She's stable now." Shamal nodded and removed the IV attached to the girl, putting the needle aside to sterilize later. Mukuro turned around, demeanor changing as he seemed to finally notice Tsuna's presence, "Kufufufu~ and who's this?"

Tsuna opened his mouth as Shamal began to speak, "The boy who brought her here. She was lucky this time; from what I gather she was on her way to her room, probably to rest, when she collapsed. The boy saw her fall and ran her back here." Tsuna gave a nod to affirm what Shamal was saying.

Mukuro said nothing for a while. When he finally looked at Tsuna, there was a something akin to a smile on his face. _His eyes are pretty, _Tsuna thought, looking at the indigo that briefly glowed in his dark orbs. "Thank you for taking care of Chrome," Mukuro said a little awkwardly, unaccustomed to thanking anyone for anything.

Tsuna smiled now that the girl was no longer in danger. "Of course!" For the second time that day, his eyes burned. Tsuna lowered his eyes from Mukuro's and rubbed his eyes again, putting it down to tiredness. _I guess I should go to bed earlier tonight…_

Something – Tsuna figured it was the smile – seemed to catch Mukuro off-guard. Recovering from his slight shock, Mukuro began introductions, "Kufufufu~ my name's Rokudo Mukuro. Just call me Mukuro. The girl you saved was my sister, Dokuro Chrome. People just call her Chrome though. And yours?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, but my friends just call me Tsuna," Tsuna said, smile still in place. It faltered as Tsuna paused. Seeming to come to a decision, Tsuna tentatively spoke, "I-if you guys are siblings, why do you have different last names?"

Mukuro seemed surprised at the question. For whatever reason, most people just took it in stride or didn't care enough to ask. But it was a good one. "It's because I don't exactly have the best reputation. By scrambling the letters, Nagi isn't immediately associated with me. So far, it's worked out fine.'

Tsuna nodded. It made sense, although he had a feeling he didn't want to know what Mukuro had done to get his reputation. A small crinkle reappeared in between his eyebrows as he realized something. "Why do you call her Nagi? Didn't you just say her name was Chrome?"

Mukuro looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, due to certain circumstances, the name Nagi holds bad memories for her. I can still call her that because I have always called her that. She associates more good memories than bad ones with me, so it cancels out. However, new people should just call her Chrome, which includes you."

Tsuna seemed satisfied with the answer and didn't pry any further. Mukuro, ending the conversation, turned back to hold his sister's hand as she slept. He watched the siblings for a little longer before turning to leave. Opening the door, he felt something smack into the back of his head. It didn't hurt per se, but it was enough to kick-start Tsuna's clumsiness as he stumbled and fell into a heap on the floor. Picking up the paper airplane thrown at him, Tsuna turned around to see who'd thrown it. The doctor was sitting at his desk, facing the door as he lounged in his chair. The doctor mimed opening up the paper. Tsuna got the message and opened the plane. He drew out a laminated card with the words "Free Pass" on it.

Looking in confusion at the man, the doctor sighed and said, "It's a pass for you. I only treat girls, but I guess if you happened to get banged up, I'll give you a band-aid to stop the bleeding."

Tsuna's smile grew larger as he called, "Thank you, -" Tsuna stopped when he realized he didn't know the man's name.

The doctor understood. "Just call me Shamal.'

Tsuna nodded and headed into the dark of the hallway. By the time he'd made it back to his room, he was exhausted. Changing your mind so many times in one day would do that to you and his body was finally ready to collect on the sleep he had been deprived of earlier. Quickly getting into his pajamas, Tsuna fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**A/N**

**Word Count: 2,401**

**So, I hit you with three new characters there! And yes, I believe Shamal can be serious when necessary... Give the poor pervert some credit! If you didn't notice, I'm going to make the Mist guardians siblings because it's just easier to explain why they are so close (I cut corners sometimes). ****Also, there won't be much action in the first arc (kind of like the manga) so try to bear with me and I'll put more in.**

**See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**Dawwwww! I love you guys! So in the face of overwhelming response/feedback (Esperanz that was my longest review yet and I love you for it!) I decided to stop wasting time with planning and write the next one. Quick note, I changed a small part of 4 and 5 because of something Guest said, so if you don't want to go back and read them all over again, I'll leave a note at the bottom with what was changed (it was really only like 4 sentences). Ummm, that's it for now, so enjoy the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: Unless Lal Mirch and Colonello actually ended up having their wedding for all to see, I don't own it.**

* * *

6.

His alarm once again went off at 6:30, refusing to stop until the boy had removed himself from his bed. Sighing, Tsuna made his way to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face until he woke up. It would be his third official day in the school. But it already felt as though he'd been here forever. Tsuna got dressed up in the drab suit before heading to the cafeteria as he had the day before.

Tsuna was not quite sure how this was going to go. Last time he'd been in the place, he'd been beaten on the floor. Not exactly an experience anyone wants twice. But there was nothing he could do short of starving himself, so with a heavy heart he walked into the cafeteria to grab his breakfast. One thing he couldn't fault the school on was their care of the students. Breakfast was a grand spread of bacon, pancakes, turnovers, sausage, pastries, cinnamon buns, eggs, hash browns, cereal, and granola bars. There was even a place where you could place a specific order for anything that wasn't available on the spread. Tsuna walked away with a plate filled with enough food to last him the majority of the day, just in case he didn't get another chance to eat in the cafeteria again.

Tsuna once more found himself in a spot free of people and sat down. He didn't feel the same loneliness he had just yesterday. Tsuna was pondering why that was when Yamamoto sat down across from him. Tsuna flinched at the sudden reappearance of the boy who had made him so aware of where he was. He also hadn't done anything to help Tsuna when he'd been on the floor. Yamamoto noticed the flinch and gave a slightly sad smile, "I scared you, didn't I? Sorry, if I did." Tsuna didn't say anything, staring at his plate where he'd been reduced to moving his eggs around his plate. "I'm also sorry I didn't eat lunch with you yesterday. The others in my class had dragged me away, so I was on the other side of the cafeteria when you got hurt. But I was trying to get them to back off when I found out. You probably didn't see me since the other boy made such a scene. Please, can we just… start over? I do want to be your friend."

Tsuna didn't say anything for several more moments before giving a small nod, eyes burning the slightest bit as he met Yamamoto's. Truth be told, he'd rather start over as well. The other boy's eyes widened almost imperceptibly – a streak of blue unknowingly flashing across his dark orbs – while Tsuna rubbed the burn in his eyes away, thinking he had been on the edge of crying. Yamamoto quickly brightened to cover up his slight shock and began talking about sports again, having fulfilled his mission of regaining Tsuna's friendship. Tuning him out a bit, Tsuna looked beyond Yamamoto and noticed that there was a table nearby where the boys were looking over at the two of them before turning around to talk to the others. Tsuna felt a small stone drop in his stomach as he recognized some of the faces as people who'd beaten him the other day. Yamamoto trailed off as he realized Tsuna was no longer paying attention to what he was saying. Turning to see what caught his eye, Yamamoto's look darkened. It grew darker when a group from the table got up and walked towards them.

"Hey, Yamamoto," one of them called, waving at Yamamoto. "Noticed you over here. Why don't you come sit with the rest of us? It's gotta be better than sitting with the loser." Tsuna ducked his head at the words and waited for Yamamoto to get up. He was obviously wanted elsewhere.

"Nah, I'm good," Yamamoto said coolly. "I'm sitting with a _friend_."

The boys shook their heads, "But Yamamoto, he's worthless." Tsuna felt a small stab at the familiar insult. "He doesn't have a color and there's always the possibility that he cheated to get in. Why would you ever want to be friends with _him_?"

Yamamoto opened his mouth as a loud voice erupted next to Tsuna, "Good morning to the EXTREME, Tsuna!" A certain white-haired, energetic boy sat down next to Tsuna. His plate was piled high with food from the spread; there was so much that some food that fell off when Ryohei put his plate down.

"Good morning to you, too, Onii-san," Tsuna said with a smile, momentarily distracted from the bullies. "How was your morning run?"

Ryohei beamed and opened his mouth to say how extreme it was when a familiar chuckle cut through the air, "Kufufufu~ good morning, Tsunayoshi." Tsuna turned around to find Mukuro, Chrome, and two more boys behind him.

"Good morning, Mukuro, Chrome," Tsuna said, smile broadening.

"G-good morning, Tsuna," Chrome stutters out, blushing slightly. Her eyes glowing indigo as she cast her gaze at him shyly. _I guess it's a family trait_, Tsuna thought, remembering yesterday.

At that moment, something irritated his eye, a heat slowly pulsing from them as she met his eyes. Sighing inwardly about dry eyes, Tsuna closed them and gently massaged the burn away, missing Chrome's startled look which was quickly reassured by a light touch to her arm from her brother. Hoping his eyes weren't watering, Tsuna looked back up and asked, "Are you feeling better, Chrome? Mukuro was really worried yesterday."

Chrome opened her mouth to respond when the boy with blonde hair fingering the scar on his face spoke up, "The stupid girl's fine. She's up and about, isn't she?" The words seemed a little coarse, but Tsuna saw the slight blush on his cheeks. One thing was certain: this boy didn't hate Chrome, no matter what he said.

The other boy sighed. His eyes were dead-looking and face expressionless as he said, "Ignore him. He's just an idiot." There was a barcode tattoo on his cheek just below his glasses and a beanie on his head. A yo-yo flickered in and out of his hand at a rapid pace, carefully controlled despite the apparent lack of attention directed towards the motion.

The boy with blond hair looked like he was about to start a fight, his face twisting itself into a rather animalistic snarl, when Tsuna quickly spoke up, "Sorry, but what are your names? I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. Tsuna to my friends."

The blond tsked and said, "I'm Joshima Ken. Just call me Ken. The freak is Kakimoto Chikusa. Just call him Chikusa or Kaki-pi. There's another girl around here someplace…" He trailed off as what looked like a clarinet slammed into his head.

The culprit was revealed to be a girl with shoulder length orange-red hair and purple eyes. "Shut up, Ken. Name's M.M. Don't call me anything else." Tsuna gulped and nodded, not sure how to react to the new arrival.

"What the heck is with the freak show?" one of the boys said, forgotten until then. The loser was supposed to be alone. Why did he have so many big players backing him up?

Ken growled. Mukuro stepped forward, a rather disturbing look on his face. Neither did anything because just then a boy walked by, one Tsuna recognized as the one who'd put a stop to the beating yesterday. The boy stopped, saying with an aura of blood-lust, "I'll bite you to death for crowding, herbivores." The bullies paled instantly and fled back to their table, trying to avoid another beating. Mukuro, however, stepped up, twirling a trident that hadn't been there a second ago. Seeing the challenge, the boy turned to Mukuro, "Prepare to be bitten to death, herbivore."

Mukuro smirked, "If you can, skylark." They got into fighting stances, prepared to explode in violence as soon as the other made a move.

Yamamoto then got up and stood between the two, attempting to calm the situation, "Maa maa, why don't we all just sit down and have breakfast? It's beginning to get cold."

"Hn," Hibari said before walking away. Mukuro looked slightly disappointed, but sat down and began to eat. Tsuna could only breathe a sigh of relief that nothing had happened. He was truly surrounding himself with dangerous people.

"Yamamoto, who was that?" Tsuna asked when the person in question was out of earshot.

"Hm? Oh, he's Hibari Kyoya," Yamamoto said with a grin. Tsuna nodded, thinking his savior from yesterday was actually quite scary.

Tuning the rest of them out, he missed the look Yamamoto passed to the twins and Ryohei. So when Yamamoto asked, "Did you guys see it, too?" with a finger casually tapping the corner of his eye, Tsuna dismissed it as more sport jargon. Same with the three nods and the glances all four sent him, lightly flicking over him before settling back down to their food and continuing as though nothing was unusual.

* * *

Breakfast finished without a hitch, sending the students to their classrooms. Tsuna split up from the others as he came to the main hall wishing them their best as he headed for the orange arch. Butterflies exploded in his stomach as he realized that his class was tiny, and he was only let in as an exception. This couldn't end well.

Tsuna walked through the arch – feeling the slightest tingle – and stopped in awe. The hallway was long, almost as long as the main hall. But it was what was inside that stopped Tsuna's breath. Along the walls were old fashioned pillars with small niches with orange Flames burning without any apparent source of fuel. There was an opening at the end of the hall where it widened into a room. There was a mosaic on the far wall of four people surrounded by stars. The first three formed a triangle with a symbol in the middle: an orange arch crested over an orange shell, which in turn was resting on an orange wave. One of the three was back to back with a man holding an orange globe in his hands. Their faces were shadowed by hoods, making their features blurred and unrecognizable, and they were dressed in robes that faded into the background. The robes were black with a gold trim that flowed along the edges, giving a regal feeling. They seemed intimidating, but Tsuna knew they weren't actually bad, just strong.

A click of shoes behind him brought him face to face with Luce. A woman followed behind her, looking very much like Luce. She even had the same flower tattoo beneath her eye. Luce smiled at Tsuna. "Interested in the Princes?" she asked.

"Princes?" Tsuna asked.

"Yes. Those four people in the mosaic over there. You were looking at them quite intently."

"Y- yeah," Tsuna stuttered. "Who are they?"

"Hm, how to explain?" Luce said, putting her finger to her chin as she thought hard. "Aria, could you do it?"

The woman behind Luce nodded with a smile, "I'd be glad to, Mama." _That explains that_, thought Tsuna. "The Four Princes are considered the guardians of space and time. The first three watch over time. One watches over parallel time, one watches over generational time – a fancy way to say the current timeline –, and the last appears every once in a while, more of a referee between the two and is able to see the future. It's a secret, but one of the Princes is actually a Princess." At this, Aria winked and put a finger to her lips.

Tsuna smiled at the gesture before asking, "And the last one?"

Aria hesitated a second before she began again, "The last one is a special case. He is the only guardian of space, commanding the powers of the earth. Unfortunately, there were problems that forced the original guardian into hiding for a very, very long time. As such, no one is quite sure of what he can actually do."

Tsuna felt a wave of sadness at that, a sense of loneliness filling him as though he knew exactly what she was talking about. It was gone as quickly as it arrived, leaving Tsuna to wonder if it had just been his imagination.

Luce clapped her hands. "Well, you're actually the last one here. I thought that since it was your first class I would just let you look around, so you're free to leave whenever you'd like. This afternoon we'll do formal introductions with each other."

Tsuna nodded, "I think I'm just going to go back to my room. You've given me something to think about." He turned to go, but Luce called him back for a second.

"Tsuna, keep in mind that the Princes were not alone. They were merely the leaders; there were six other guardians. Each of the other halls has a mosaic of the guardians in their respective colors. The original mosaic has been missing for quite some time, but it supposedly shows all 28 guardians. After all, even the strongest Prince needs a guard… and a friend," she added after a moment, a soft smile gracing her lips as she watched the boy.

Tsuna, reflexively returning the smile, took in the information with confusion – after all, why would he need to know that? – but stored it away for thought later. _Never hurts to know, I guess_, Tsuna thought idly. Thanking Luce and Aria, he left the hall.

* * *

**Word Count: 2,243**

**And done! So we have more kindness, that curious burning, the return of Yamamoto (I couldn't keep him away forever), and a short introduction to Hibari and the Princes. I probably will save Hibari for last, but expect a new guardian next time! As for Tsuna's breaking point, it'll come soon (?) I hope. And yes, he'll do it for someone else (that's all but a given). Thank you again, and what I added will be summarized below (because out-of-context writing sucks).**

**Really quickly, sorry Esperanz, but like you said, it's a hobby and I don't know how to fit more with the current way I'm writing. I'll try in the future to write more, so bear with me.**

**See you next time!**

**What I added:**

**Basically all I added was different points in which both the guardians' and Tsuna's eyes "burned" (although the guardians didn't feel it) while getting accepted by the each other. So Ryohei and Mukuro already knew, and Yamamoto and Chrome found out during this chapter and they are all keeping it a secret because no one really knows what it means. I'll probably elaborate a little more with the next chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**In the least stalkerish way possible, can I hunt you all down and hug you? I'm only half kidding because I really do love you guys! Anyways, here we are! Unless I take too much longer and start dragging this out, I think I should be done with this arc by my midterms. So fingers crossed! And someone pointed out that Reborn hasn't shown up in a while. I don't have much for him to do in the beginning, especially since Tsuna hasn't even figured out his Flame thing yet, but I hope to put more of him in sooner or later... I think that's everything, so enjoy the chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: Iemitsu never properly apologized to Tsuna, so I don't own it.**

* * *

7.

Walking out of the arch and into the main hall, Tsuna heard a sniffling. Looking around, Tsuna didn't see anyone. After a few seconds without any kind of sound, Tsuna shrugged it off and continued walking. He had just passed the black and white halls when the sound was heard again, this time louder. It was accompanied by a whisper of, "Tolerate."

Looking around again, Tsuna still didn't see whoever made the sound. It was obviously a child crying, but there didn't appear to be any children around. He waited for a second before tracing it to the green hall. Making his way over cautiously, he saw a child, about 10 or so, crouched just inside the hallway, hidden by shadows. Being the person he was, Tsuna walked up to the boy.

"You okay?" Tsuna asked. The child had a mop of black hair, messily groomed so that some parts of it stuck up while others lay in his eyes. Two horns – _fake_, Tsuna assumed – branched out from the sides of his head, much like a cow.

"L-lambo i-is just fi-fine," the child said between hiccups and sniffles. "Lambo c-can t-t-tolerate."

Tsuna couldn't help but want to sigh. The child obviously wasn't fine if he was sitting in the dark, crying his eyes out for what looked to have been a while. Tsuna walked through the arch, a small tingle going through him, to sit next to the suited child. It looked like even the smallest of the students wore a suit. He didn't say anything as he sat down, just letting the child cry in the company of someone else.

The child continued to cry and soon crawled into Tsuna's lap to cry against his chest. Tsuna brought his hand up to rub his back, remembering how he always saw Kyoko do it when she comforted a child. The child seemed to cry harder at that and curled up tighter to Tsuna, desiring all the human contact he could.

After a while, the child calmed down. "T-that wasn't necessary," the child said with false bravado. "Lambo was just fine after all."

Tsuna arched an eyebrow at that. "I know," he said, "but I felt tired and wanted to sit down anyways. You just kept me company, right?" He winked at the child whom he assumed to be Lambo by the way the child was speaking.

Lambo looked up at Tsuna with a look of something close to awe. Tsuna was noting Lambo's eyes were green when a flash of a darker green suddenly lit up his eyes before quickly disappearing, leaving Tsuna to wonder if he had imagined it. Lambo quickly recovered and proclaimed, "Bwahahaha, of course! I, the kind and generous Lambo, was merely keeping you company! Be grateful!"

Tsuna was slightly irked by the child's attitude, but let it go knowing that the child was trying to cheer himself up. "Thank you then, Lambo. My name's Sawada Tsunayoshi, but my friends just call me Tsuna."

Lambo, without an ounce of hesitation at the informality, spoke again, "Well, Tsuna, you are officially my servant."

Tsuna nearly fell over in shock. What was with this child! Gathering up as much patience as he could, Tsuna refused, "Lambo, you cannot ask someone to be your servant. That isn't how it works. However, I wouldn't mind having Lambo as a friend, if he would agree."

Lambo pouted at the refusal, a little confused since that was how it always went back at home. He'd demand someone be his servant and then they wouldn't be able to ignore him and they'd have to play with him when he wanted. But he supposed that if this brunet was the one asking, Lambo could stand the change. "Fine, Lambo accepts. But only because the great Lambo is so kind."

"Good," said Tsuna. "Now, why were you sitting here, alone in the dark?"

"Why should Lambo tell you?" Lambo asked defensively, though he was grateful Tsuna hadn't said anything about him crying.

"Because that's what friends do. They do everything they can for each other and make sure everyone's happy. I want to know what made you sad in the first place so I can fix it because I want to make you happy." His eyes were burning again as he met the still-shiny eyes of the ten year-old, trying to drive his sincerity home.

Lambo looked at the boy in awe again. _His eyes are such a pretty orange…_ Lambo thought in wonder as he gazed into those comforting orbs, barely restraining the urge to touch them. The ribbons of light orange were laced in among the brown, a harmony of warm colors that almost glowed in the shadows of the hall. Tsuna once more rubbed his eyes in irritation, banishing the orange and turning Lambo's attention back to his words. It was such a naïve idea in the outside world, but this boy seemed so perfectly serious and concerned that Lambo found himself telling Tsuna the truth, "I am useless."

Tsuna felt a slight chill run over his body at the word "useless". It was quite honestly his least favorite word in the world. It was something that should never refer to a person because, quite honestly, no one is truly useless. Tsuna still had trouble believing that due to constant psychological bullying from his classmates, but he knew there was no way the word could apply to the child before him. "Don't," Tsuna said, his voice gentle but firm. "You're not useless."

"B-but I am!" Lambo said, beginning to get upset again. "Everyone in the room said so."

"They're wrong," Tsuna said firmly. Searching his mind for some way to reassure the child, Tsuna remembered back to the pillar lighting. His eyes all but popped as he realized the bullied child next to him had managed to light it up brighter than almost anyone else. "Lambo, do you realize what happened when we had to light the pillar?"

Lambo looked at him questioningly, "Yeah, I just lit up my color."

"Lambo, do you realize yours was one of the brightest? There were only a few people who could even come close to it! You're amazing! I wasn't even able to light one!"

Lambo's face split into a giant grin as Tsuna kept talking until he was nearly bouncing in joy. "They were wrong!" Lambo crowed as he clapped his hands. "Lambo is actually superior to all those stupid people! Lambo is amazing after all!"

Tsuna had an uneasy feeling that he had just released a monster on the green hallway, but for the moment he let the dejected child regain his confidence. After a few moment of basking in the glow of his own ego, Lambo jumped up, "Good job, Tsuna. You've served Lambo well! You're now my favorite." He turned to run down the hall, but paused and turned back around. "C-can I..." the child stuttered and stopped before trying again. "Can I call you Tsuna-nii?" Tsuna was stunned at the suggestion, but it warmed his heart nonetheless and he nodded. Lambo's face lit up with a mix of astonishment and gratefulness and he took the few steps necessary to close the distance between the two. "Thank you, Tsu—Tsuna-nii," he mumbled shyly. He quickly wrapped his arms around Tsuna before letting go and running down the hall. Tsuna smiled at the sign of affection and got up, dusting off his pants. There was nothing he could do about his tear- and snot-stained jacket, so with a goofy smile on his face, Tsuna left the green hallway.

* * *

Tsuna returned to his room and changed into a new suit. He paused as he finished getting dressed, briefly wondering what happened to his laundry. He'd just been throwing it in one corner of his room, yet every day it was gone and the number of suits in his closet always seemed to be the same. He kind of wish he knew so he could thank whoever was responsible.

Having nothing better to do, Tsuna lay back on his bed and thought about the Princes. _The Princes and Princess_, he corrected himself as he remembered what Aria had said. They really were something if they did watch over everything like that. He wondered where they were now and if they still even lived. If they weren't alive or had passed on the title, then where were the current generations? Tsuna couldn't imagine how someone took over a position as guardian of the universe, but he imagined it would be quite the affair.

And Luce had talked about there being one in each hall. That meant seven guardians per section of the universe… Twenty-eight people to watching over a world of seven billion. Tsuna couldn't imagine the weight of such a responsibility resting on another's shoulders. The prospect alone had Tsuna shying away from any unintended involvement. _That job would give a whole new meaning to the phrase "Do it right the first time"._

His thoughts quickly turned to the guardian of space, the obvious odd one out. The guardians of time didn't seem overly involved with him to the point where he was excluded from the unity the other guardians shared. But there was one thing that gave Tsuna a good feeling. The back the guardian of space was shared with a guardian of time; it seemed to be a sign of absolute trust. After all, you don't ask just anyone to have your back, especially when you're so important.

Tsuna glanced at the clock and noticed he'd completely lost track of time. It was already 1:00; time for lunch. Quickly getting up, he left for the cafeteria, hoping he wasn't too late.

* * *

Grabbing his food, he noticed that Lambo was sitting alone. Frowning, Tsuna walked over to him. "Hey, where's everyone else?" Tsuna asked, looking for other people that might be from the same class.

Lambo just shook his head and continued eating. After a few moments, he put down his fork and tears began filling his eyes again, "N-no one liked Lambo. T-they called Lambo a spoiled brat a-and refused to talk to him at all."

Tsuna just listened to the boy blubber about his depressing experience with being ostracized. When Lambo was done, Tsuna put his arm around the child and pulled him closer, "Well, I'll talk to you, Lambo. Forget about the others; I'll be nice to you. I'll be here with you, so don't feel lonely."

Lambo gave a small nod, continuing to eat as his tears slowly dried on his face. Tsuna ate with him in companionable silence. About half way through, Yamamoto sat down with them, taking Lambo's presence in stride and talked to the boy while Tsuna continued to eat. Ryohei appeared at some point, smelling of sweat and beaming with energy. He began to send jokes back and forth between Lambo and himself, making the child laugh. Mukuro, Chrome, and the others eventually joined them, but Mukuro only succeeded in terrifying Lambo. Chrome was immediately made the child's seat, Lambo calling her, "The most comfortable lap." This didn't go over well with Mukuro and Lambo soon found himself fleeing on the other side of Ryohei to escape the wrath of his lap's older brother. Ken, Chikusa, and M.M. simply ignored him from their adjoining table after Mukuro's failure to form a good relationship. After all, what did it matter to them if it didn't matter to Mukuro?

Through it all, Tsuna watched the child carefully. The child's face, despite a few terrifying moments, was now lit up with happiness from being surrounded by people who actually acknowledged he was there, happily or not. Tsuna felt a smile on his own face as he realized that he had essentially saved someone from following the same path he had. Lambo wouldn't be declared "useless" and left alone as long as Tsuna was there.

What Tsuna never realized was that the rest of his table was watching him smile at his private resolution from the corner of their eye, enjoying the innocence and purity of the expression. They had all known exactly what they were getting into, but Tsuna – who obviously hadn't known about it beforehand from the way he reacted to things – had managed to adapt without losing what made him, him. There was something about Tsuna – something that went beyond the normal scope of charisma or attraction – that made him so strong and special, yet at the same time so fragile. An irrational fear came over the five people at his table, a black crushing despair that someday he may just slip away and leave them behind. Meeting each other's eyes and understanding what lay behind them, every one of them silently vowed to never, ever let the boy sitting across from them disappear.

* * *

**A/N**

**Word Count: 2,139**

**So now we have five of seven guardians... Two more left! I have a good idea of what's going to happen next, so expect the next chapter relatively soon. I might not be able to update this until after Christmas break (I'm going away) but I'll try to do one before I leave.**

**For those of you who've read it, part two of "Home for the Holidays" should also be up tonight. For the record, I am pouting because warm weather and rain took away all my snow... WOE IS I! NO SNOW FOR ME!**

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! See you next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

**(This is a re-upload just to say that**** I got some comments on Byakuran's hair color, and my defense is the colored image of his as a teenager during the Curse of the Rainbow arc showed him with purple, not white, hair. I wanted to do the present versions of the Millefiore rather than the future ones. No content has been changed)**

**I hope you guys had a good break or holiday and HAPPY 2014! I hope I'm not the only one who will be writing the date wrong for a while... I guess this is a little late, but, in my defense, holidays, brother's girlfriend, monopoly, my friends, and little sisters make it harder to hide away for hours to write. That and the snow... I've said it before, but I love that stuff, powdery or otherwise. In other news, I'm trying something out because a certain reviewer mentioned how short the chapters were. So instead of giving you individual chapters, I'm going to combine two at a time (don't let it be said that I don't listen to you guys!). We'll see how this goes! I do a lot of thinking in Tsuna's part in this chapter (kinda boring), but remember he doesn't really know what's going on so he does have to think even the simplest of things through. I didn't really like the way I shoved it all in this chapter, but I think I hit all the basics so this should be the end of it. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Sadistic soldier: Thank you so much! I swear that made my day when I saw that review! For the record (and maybe I should put it in the description) this is a GEN!Fic (family/friend only). Hope you like the chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: It was never revealed if Mammon/Viper was male or female, so I don't own it.**

* * *

8.

Tsuna looked around at his lunch mates and couldn't help but notice something: their suits were colored. Tsuna's was still a boring gray, but Mukuro and Chrome both had indigo on their uniforms. M.M., Ken, and Ryohei all had yellow decorating their clothes; Chikusa and Yamamoto had blue on their uniforms. Even Lambo had green at various points on his suit; he also had some sort of cow print belt, but Tsuna saw that as a personal preference. And now that he thought about it, Hibari had had purple coloring to his uniform, too! Looking around, everyone seemed to have color on their uniforms. All except him.

Seeing Tsuna frown a bit, Yamamoto asked, "What's up, Tsuna?"

"The color," Tsuna mumbled. Yamamoto looked at him with a confused expression. "Why is mine still gray while the rest of you have color?"

Yamamoto thought for a moment. "Ha ha, that's easy!" he said, the answer coming to him. "Ours changed color when we lit our Flames. And since you haven't lit yours yet, it doesn't know what color to give you. Speaking of which, what color are you?"

Tsuna cringed a little as he was reminded it was just one more thing that set him apart from everyone else. Focusing on Yamamoto's question, Tsuna thought hard. "Well, it's the same as the one we had for the entrance exam, right?" He received a nod. "Well, then, I guess all of them."

Yamamoto nearly dropped his fork in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I managed to light all of them," Tsuna said, shrugging. Suddenly feeling everyone's eyes on him in disbelief, embarrassment came over him and he quickly backtracked, "But my brightest one was the orange." It seemed to pacify everyone – no one really surprised due to the flare of orange in his eyes – but there was still a burning question on the tip of their tongues: how can someone be compatible with all Flames?

* * *

Lunch ended without further incident, but his lunch mates still snuck looks at him when they thought he wasn't looking; Tsuna had noticed but didn't say anything because he understood their curiosity. He, however, did not catch just how curious he was to the others. They split to go to their respective halls, promising to meet back up for dinner.

Tsuna realized he now had to face his fellow classmates as the Exception. _This is not going to end well. At all_, Tsuna despaired. He walked through the arch again, once more feeling a tingle, and took in the room. In the large clearing before the mosaic five other students milled around aimlessly, waiting for something. As Tsuna fully stepped into the room, all eyes fell on him before flicking away, obviously not who they were expecting. So, upon being ignored, Tsuna also began to look around. There was one rather official-looking door right below the mosaic, but that had an astounding seven locks holding it shut. Deciding to leave that alone, Tsuna also noticed a door on either wall. He pushed one open just a little bit, finding it unlocked, and stood facing a large, sound-proofed room. It was huge, as though it was built for elephant fights. And from the reinforcement Tsuna could see, it looked sturdy enough for it. Not really wanting to know what that was for, he closed the door and crossed the room to the other side. Unfortunately, he tripped. On air. Into another student.

Tsuna went down, taking the blond individual down with him. As soon as he realized he'd landed on someone, he jumped up, babbling apologies. The boy merely laughed, rubbing the back of his head that had hit the floor. "Don't worry about it," he laughed. "I'm just glad I'm not the only clumsy one here!"

Tsuna couldn't help but sigh in relief that the student hadn't exploded at him. Helping the boy onto his feet, Tsuna introduced himself, "My name's Sawada Tsunayoshi. Friends know me as Tsuna."

The boy nodded, returning the favor, "Dino Chiavarone. Just call me Dino."

Tsuna felt a little put out to be calling the boy by his family name***** after calling everyone so far by their first name, but if that was what he wanted, Tsuna would comply. Dino, as if reading the boy's mind, quickly fixed the confusion, "Gah, I forgot! I'm Italian, so my name comes first and my family name is last. There are quite a few of us here, but I assume you're Japanese. Don't worry, I'm not trying to add unnecessary formality." Dino smiled at Tsuna and Tsuna returned the smile, glad to have made another friend.

"So you're the student whose Flame didn't show?" Dino asked. Tsuna nodded warily, wondering if everything was about to go downhill. "Hm, well that's pretty unlucky. I hope you manage to light it soon." Tsuna blinked in surprise at the lack of rejection.

"Wait, you don't care they made an exception?" Tsuna asked, not believing his ears.

"Nope," Dino said. "I've known Reborn for a while, so if he's says you're good, then you're good. It's a weird circumstance, but I'm sure everything will be fine."

Staring in awe at the strange boy, Tsuna didn't see the smile on Dino's face widen until he was pulled down into a hug with Dino's arm around his neck. "AH! I know!" the boy said excitedly, his eyes lighting up a bit, "I'll make you my little brother! You've been chosen by Reborn as well, so think of me like your older brother. I'll help you out where he helped me!"

Unable to resist the boy's enthusiasm, Tsuna nodded along with it. _Two older brothers where before there were none_, Tsuna thought with a slightly wistful grin, _not too bad for Dame-Tsuna_. Freeing his head from Dino's grasp, he waved good-bye and went to explore the other door. This one opened onto a classroom setting and Tsuna couldn't help but sigh. _Well, it is a school after all_, he thought ruefully. Closing the door, he heard a student behind him yell out, "Where's that trash teacher?"

No one bothered to answer him, wondering the same thing. "Well, if the trash doesn't show in five, I'm leaving," the boy growled. Tsuna finally had chance to take a good look at his classmates. The boy who was speaking had olive skin and black hair. He had stitched feathers onto the collar of his suit and currently wore it with the jacket hanging on his shoulders. His shirt was open at the top and the tie had probably been thrown away. His face was horribly scarred; from what, Tsuna didn't want to know. His eyes had a reddish tint, a menacing scowl on his face that had Tsuna quickly focusing elsewhere.

Tsuna was already familiar with Dino, but looked a little closer. The boy had tattoos lining his arms, visible at the wrists and collarbone. He had unbuttoned the top of his shirt and lost the tie somewhere, but at least he was wearing the suit jacket properly. He was overall a good-looking guy, a subdued power hidden under his jacket. Tsuna would bet more than one woman had been enchanted by those brown eyes; they were a curious mix of adult maturity and a more subtle playful spark of childishness.

Another student was relaxing against a wall, his hair purple and a spiky, three-triangle tattoo sitting under one eye. His mouth was currently grinning and his eyes were closed, obviously enjoying the marshmallows he kept popping into his mouth. As if feeling Tsuna looking at him, he opened his eyes and looked at the boy, revealing violet irises. Tsuna had an odd feeling as he looked at the boy, another present from whatever kept giving him these sensations. The boy gave a cheerful wave and went back to his marshmallows. Feeling self-conscious at being caught, Tsuna turned to the next student and the only girl in the room.

She reminded him of Luce and Aria. Now that Tsuna thought about it, Aria could be old enough to have a daughter about that age. Putting that thought in the back of his mind, he took in her big blue eyes and the orange flower tattoo sitting under her eye. She had the same short, dark green hair that Aria had. That and the tattoo all but confirmed his suspicions. There was a sense of charisma about her that Tsuna respected, but there was something more than that to this feeling of respect towards her. It was a similar feeling he'd had when looking at the purple-haired boy. Taking note of these vague hunches, Tsuna turned to the final student.

Tsuna was sure he would've missed him if he hadn't been looking for him. The student had cherry red hair and was currently sitting in a corner, trying not to attract attention. He had several bandages on his face. Tsuna was wondering what could have caused those when he saw the student stand up and stretch his legs. The student was in the middle of stretching when he lost his balance and crashed to the floor. _Ah_, thought Tsuna with a smile, _same as Dino and I_. But there was something about him. The same something that both the girl and the purple-haired boy had had. It was going to be his next mission to figure out what exactly these feelings were trying to say.

Observing the student, he noticed that the boy had the orange on his uniform that confirmed him a student of the class. Tsuna noticed that every place that the boy had orange, Tsuna had gray. It at least made sense now. The gray would turn into orange when he finally managed to release his Flame. That was another thing. Why was Flame given so much emphasis? Was it that weird light Tsuna managed to make come out of the rings? It was a lot like the Dying Will Reborn had talked about when they'd first met. They all seemed to have a second meaning.

Tsuna put that to the back of his mind for the moment, cramming it in there with everything else. Turning his attention back to the student, who was now also looking around the room, Tsuna nearly fell over in surprise when he saw his eyes. They were red; that was strange enough. _But his pupils! That's not normal!_ They were shaped like a compass with an open circle in the middle and four spokes going out in the four cardinal directions.

Before Tsuna could be caught staring, heels clicked into the room. Luce had appeared with Aria. Judging by the scarred boy's reaction, he'd been just about to leave when they'd walked in. Luce smiled warmly at all of us before saying, "Welcome to the Sky Class!" She seemed to pause for dramatic effect, but nothing happened so she just continued. "Because there was a problem in another sector, I was late. We'll just quickly introduce ourselves and then you're free to go. I'll begin. My name's Luce Giglio Nero. I am Italian. I'm also the former boss of the Giglio Nero and the current head teacher of the school."

Aria stepped up next, "I am Aria Giglio Nero and Luce's daughter. I am also Italian and the current boss of the Giglio Nero Famiglia. I am serving as my mother's teaching aide in my spare time."

There was silence as none of the students spoke. Finally, the purple-haired boy stepped forward, "I'm Byakuran Gesso~. I am Italian and will be the boss of the Gesso Famiglia when my father steps down. I love marshmallows~." As if to make a point, he grabbed another bag from underneath his suit jacket and ripped it open, putting yet another of the sugary treat in his mouth.

Dino cleared his throat and went next, "I'm Dino Chiavarone and I currently hold the position as leader of the Chiavarone Famiglia. I am Italian and have known Reborn," at the name there was a small wince, "for quite a few years."

The boy with the scarred face followed, "Listen up, trash. I'm Xanxus. I'm Italian. My old man's the leader of the Vongola, but I plan on taking over the assassination squad rather than the trash Famiglia. Don't get in my way here or you'll regret it." Tsuna made a mental note to never cross the guy. He didn't seem bad per se, but definitely dangerous…

The girl who looked like Aria spoke after, "My name's Yuni Giglio Nero. My mother is Aria and I am Italian." That confirmed Tsuna's suspicions and he almost had to laugh. Three generations in the same school was practically unheard of! And Luce really didn't look like a grandmother… Whatever was with the family, they had amazing anti-aging genes.

Tsuna, noting it was only him and the other boy left, spoke up, "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but my friends call me Tsuna. I am Japanese. My Flame is unclassified." He winced at his last words, waiting for the protests to start up, but no one said anything. There were a couple of curious looks exchanged, but there didn't seem to be any sign of imminent danger. Tsuna took it as a good sign.

The boy with strange eyes spoke last. He mumbled something. "Please speak up, dear," said Luce encouragingly.

This time the reply was audible, "I'm Enma Kozato. I'm Italian and am part of the Shimon Famiglia." At this, a huge intake of breath was heard and the other students looked at each other in surprise. _Why is that so weird to be part of the Shimon… Famiglia? Wait a second…_

Tsuna's mouth spoke before he considered what he was saying, "What's a Famiglia? Everyone keeps talking about them, but I still don't know what they are."

Dead silence followed the question, disbelief gracing everyone's features. Luce was the first to recover, "Tsuna, dear, what do you think this place is?" _Don't tell me…_

"A school. I wasn't any good at my old school, but then Reborn showed up and I apparently passed the entrance exam, so here I am. Isn't that what's supposed to happen?" Once again, dead silence.

"Oh boy," Luce murmured, "I can't deal with this right now. Class dismissed. See you all tomorrow."

Everyone left, leaving Tsuna's question unanswered and a very nasty feeling growing in his stomach as he realized there might be more to this school than just violent students and strange flames.

* * *

Tsuna decided to skip dinner in favor of thinking, mainly to get the thoughts in the back of his head straightened out. He started with the Princes but soon gave up, finding that it was going nowhere anytime soon. He didn't know what the feeling he had about the Princes was and probably never would.

Concerning the tingles that he felt every time he went under a colored arch… he had no idea. That one required more investigation. It seemed harmless, so there was no rush to figure out that mystery. But the Flames. Tsuna sat and thought. There was obviously a difference between fire and a Flame. Perhaps it was something as simple as the type? After all, he'd never heard of a person being able to create fire just from concentrating on something. So that meant that all the lights people had created were Flames. It actually made sense, but that meant that everyone in the school, sans himself at the current moment, had Flames. _Yeah, that was pretty special. No wonder it was such an exclusive school._ But that just made Tsuna feel more useless. The whole reason he was here – which apparently was not to learn if the events of class were any indication – was solely because he could form a Flame, and he had failed to do that. Tsuna sighed.

The Dying Will… that seemed to be a Reborn-only thing, so he'd have to ask the man himself. _Oh, what a joy that'd be._ Tsuna got into his pajamas, resolving that by tomorrow night, they'd no longer be gray. He fell asleep formulating ideas on how to summon his Flame.

* * *

The alarm woke him up at 6:30 again, but Tsuna was beginning to get used to it and just started to get ready as usual. By the time he'd gotten to cafeteria, he noticed everyone except Ryohei was already there. _Probably on a run_, Tsuna thought. Breakfast passed quickly once he was done partially explaining why he hadn't been at dinner the previous night and gotten chided for skipping meals.

Walking into the orange hall, once more feeling the tingle, Tsuna noted no one except Luce was there. "Ah, Tsuna," Luce said as he came closer, "perfect timing. I gave everyone the day off so I could talk to you alone."

Tsuna almost sighed at how relaxed Luce was about school, but it was _her_ class after all. "Of course, Luce. Just what do you need to talk with me about? If it's the Flame thing, I'm working on it."

"Oh, no, not that," Luce replied. "It's about your question yesterday. Reborn didn't explain properly because most of the students already know, but I figured I should clear it up for you."

Tsuna nodded in relief. At least he hadn't been ignored. So he followed Luce into the classroom, sitting so the two faced each other. "Well, the name of the school, for one, is just a cover-up for the acronym." Writing the name of the school so each word was under the next produced a very specific word that actually made Tsuna fall out of his chair.

"MAFIA?! This is a school for the MAFIA?!" Tsuna all but screamed. Luce calmly nodded, waiting for the boy's hysterics to pass. They didn't. "That means everyone… the students… teachers… are in the MAFIA?!" It went on like that for a few more minutes before Luce finally lost patience and smacked him over the head with her fan.

"Ow," Tsuna whimpered as he rubbed the bump forming on his head.

"Calmer?" Luce asked, not as much of a question as a demand. Tsuna nodded tearily, wondering where the fan had come from.

"This is the most prestigious place to train future members, most specifically heirs to high positions in the Mafia. These people are the best among the underground, and those who aren't will either quit and return to their Famiglia or adjust to our standards. Most do adjust though. More exclusively to your question yesterday, the Mafia is split into groups called Famiglias. They are your Famiglia by oath, not necessarily blood. The oath you take as a Mafioso is called the Omertà, the Code of Silence, which demands loyalty to those above you and forbids interaction with traditional law enforcement. If you have a problem, you're backed up by your Famiglia, not the police." Tsuna blanched a bit. He had entered a school for organized crime. By accident. He really was _Dame_...

"The final thing you absolutely need to know is about the Flames." Tsuna perked up at this, wanting to see how close he had gotten. "It is a special form of magic that everyone has, but few can summon and fewer still can utilize enough to be of use. That was what your entrance exam was, a confirmation you would be worth teaching." _Which I somehow passed_, Tsuna thought, regretting being able to do it. "It can be seen as a materialization of your soul. The color reflects the person you are at heart and places you in one of seven categories: Storm, Rain, Lightning, Cloud, Sun, Mist, and the rarest, Sky. You have been identified as one of the last type by Reborn. You need to use a fierce determination, known as a Dying Will, to force the Flame to form. You essentially use your soul to protect or complete whatever you don't have the power to do. As it is a form of magic, there is a special phrase, spell if you will, to help summon the full potential of your Flame until you have achieved mastery over your Flame. It's just a short thing: **Sorgi, Fiamma del Cielo****," Luce said, writing out the words for Tsuna. "A combination of this phrase and your own determination will bring forth the Flame. For whatever reason, you seem to have lost the determination your first had," Luce finished, watching her student's reaction. It really was a pain if no one had explained properly, but Reborn wasn't one for explanations. The man had pushed that responsibility onto her. _Typical_, Luce sighed.

"I-Is there any way out?" Tsuna whispered, almost to himself. "Or am I stuck here?"

"You… you can't go back to the life you had," Luce answered regretfully. "You no longer had a choice from the moment Reborn found you."

Tsuna's hands rapidly clenched and unclenched themselves. The words _can't go back_ echoed through his mind, three words that sent Tsuna's mind into further turmoil. After a few moments of silence, he got up from his seat and began to leave. "Where're you going, Tsuna?" Luce asked, a little worried how he was reacting.

"I… just have a lot to think about," Tsuna murmured, more subdued and polite than usual. "May I leave to think?" Luce hesitantly nodded and the boy left. Luce reached into her desk and pulled out a bottle of vodka. She needed something to convince her she hadn't completely messed up.

* * *

Tsuna wandered a little aimlessly into the main hall, absorbing the information he just received. It at least explained why he couldn't summon his Flame: he didn't have any kind of fierce determination. After all, what did Tsuna ever need to be determined about? He was too useless to have any kind of expectations. But the Mafia bit. That made Tsuna a little sick to his stomach. What had he truly gotten himself into now? Or rather what had Reborn gotten him into? Tsuna had to stay, though, both according to Luce as well as the feelings he'd been getting since he got here. So no matter what, Tsuna was stuck.

A shout from the right side of the hall tore Tsuna from his thoughts. It was quickly followed by a deafening boom. Tsuna nearly jumped out of his shoes from fright, not expecting the echo that ended up bombarding him on all sides. He went to run away when he heard it. The familiar sound of voices, many voices, against one.

Tsuna was running towards the voices before he truly thought it through. When he arrived at the edge of the red hall, his voice caught in his throat. There were five people, looking a little singed, surrounding one silver-haired boy who looked as though he was taking the punches quite well and returning the favor with… was that DYNAMITE?! Tsuna could hear a bit of what was going on, but small snitches, "Don't deserve… mother dead… half-breed… no place… trash…"

It painted a large enough picture that Tsuna stepped forward into the hall – noting in the very back of his mind there was another tingle – with the intent to at least get the boy out. The boy looked rather angry and he somehow produced another already lit dynamite, making it appear out of thin air like Luce had. But Tsuna had a feeling this was a little different; Luce's fan had felt a little more off, like it truly had materialized out of nothing.

Regardless, the boy waved the dynamite threateningly at the bullies as he screamed, "Back the **** off! Just shut your ******** mouths about my mother, you *******." Tsuna's eyes widened at the language before noting that the fuse was getting dangerously close to the end. Moving quickly, Tsuna pushed in between the boys, surprising them, and grabbed the dynamite, running into the main hall and launching it into the air. It exploded with an ear-splitting _boom _and the shockwave from the explosion managed to push Tsuna onto the floor, making his ears ring with the reverberations. He couldn't help but wonder how the boys had stayed on their feet when the last one had gone off.

Getting off the floor, he noticed the boys had ganged up on the last one, taking the chance when he was disarmed to get a few hits in. The boy was doing a good job of returning the favor, but five on one was terrible odds. Tsuna felt a wave of anger as he heard the taunts the boys called, including "Your mother was a *****" and "She was probably a good little ***** for your father." There were many things that he could stand hearing, but family was absolute. No one deserved to have their family taunted. No one.

His blood began to boil as he thought about family – about the only people who stuck with you no matter what – to the point where it was a little uncomfortable and Tsuna couldn't help but will some of the heat to escape so his body didn't feel so hot. With a _whumpf_ of something catching fire, Tsuna felt the heat within dwindle into a comforting warmth. It even spread to… his… hands. HOLY #%$! His hands were on fire! But there was a strange calm that was beginning to fall over him, dampening his shock into something close to mild interest. The boys in front of him had their eyes all but popping out at the sight of him. One spoke up, "N-no way. H-how the heck did a Sky get in here? Only Storms should be able to! The barrier should've blocked him."

Detachedly, Tsuna wondered if that was what the tingle was. He supposed it was a barrier to separate the classes and try to limit conflict between halls. But more importantly, he had to get the bullies to back off. Drawing back his fist, Tsuna slammed a punch into the first's face, sending him crashing into a wall. A small feeling of surprise came over him as Tsuna realized he was much, much stronger like this. Turning to the second bully, who was at least in a fighting stance, Tsuna dodged the badly aimed punch and got him in the stomach, causing him to double over and slump to the floor. A third barely took a step forward before Tsuna whirled to him, a blow to the jaw, spinning the boy before he dropped like a stone to rest on the floor of the hallway. The last two looked at each other and nodded.

They turned and ran with all they had.

Tsuna felt the warmth beginning to subside and saw the Flames on his hand begin to disappear. _So that what Luce meant_, Tsuna thought as exhaustion began to come over him. The boy he'd saved was staring at him open-mouthed. Summoning up a tired smile, Tsuna asked, "Are you okay?" The boy numbly nodded.

Tsuna nodded, feeling overly tired. Lifting a limp hand in good-bye, he began to stagger towards his room. The main hall was swaying a bit though; it was hard to keep upright when the world was trying to turn itself upside-down. When Tsuna nearly fell, he found a shoulder propping him up. The silver-haired boy was keeping him from falling asleep on the floor. "The least I can do," the boy mumbled, as they moved across the hall and towards the stairs. Tsuna felt a smile appear on his lips.

They managed to get up the two flights and to his door. "Thank you," Tsuna mumbled, feeling too tired to do much else besides sleep. Placing his hand on the door, he didn't even bother to be discreet about his password in front of the other boy. The boy didn't say anything although something close to respect appeared in his eyes, which suddenly flashed red before fading back to green. _Must be really tired to be seeing things_, Tsuna thought as he stumbled into the room. He closed the door behind him and collapsed on the bed, letting the darkness of sleep overtake him.

* * *

**A/N**

**Word Count: 4,696**

*** - Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Japan the family name comes first (i.e. Sawada Tsunayoshi, Yamamoto Takeshi), which is the opposite of how it is the U.S. and European countries.**

**** - Arise, Flame of the Sky (excuse me if the Italian is botched); this is sort of a Magic School AU scenario, so I do have to come up with these as well.**

**Well, that's it for this week (which is mostly over anyways)! I hope you guys enjoyed it and I've got the rest of this arc and the beginning of the next one planned out so I shouldn't run into too much writer's block in terms of ideas. Hope I did the other Sky students okay, but then again, they each had about four lines, so how ad could I possibly mess up? I don't think I'll have school tomorrow, so let me see if I can't get the next chapter done! As always, let me know if I've made a mistake somewhere.**

**See you next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

**Sorry for being later than usual! Between birthday parties and midterms, I didn't have nearly as much time to write. And on that note, the chapters will slow down because I have a giant research paper (that's pretty much my whole grade in the class) and midterms coming up. For whatever reason, real life actually is important (who knew?). Anyways, away with the excuses! You guys are awesome, and I got a record 13 reviews in a single chapter! Really love you all (non-creepy, author to fan way...). This chapter will not be Hibari joining our gang (sorry to disappoint), however we do find out what that giant room that was apparently large enough to fight elephants in (Oh, Tsuna...) is for. So enjoy, and thanks for reading!**

**iJutsu and Guest: Thanks for answering my question!**

**Lost Innocent: THANK YOU! For both the criticism and the love, you have my gratitude. I will watch for that from now on, so stop in to see if I get any better (or worse!). And no, I find it more flattering than creepy, so you're fine.**

**DISCLAIMER: Tsuna never officially became Decimo, so I don't own it.**

* * *

9.

When Tsuna woke up, it was 7:00 according to his clock. He was going to miss dinner if he didn't hurry! Tsuna straightened out his suit, trying to look a little less crumpled. Running out the door, his shoes already on his feet, he made it to the cafeteria in record time. Entering, he noticed that attention was focused on him. It had begun with the people closest to him and quickly spread as everyone stared at the new arrival.

Tsuna was self-conscious under all the attention and went to grab his food, feeling the eyes follow his every movement. Quickly going to sit down with the others, he noticed the whispers persisted, people removing feet from his path as he all but ran to his seat. Sitting down, he noticed even the people at his table were staring at him. "W-what's wrong, guys?" Tsuna asked, a little afraid of the answer. Due to the quiet, the question traversed the whole room, making Tsuna feel as though he was addressing the whole room and not just his group of friends.

Yamamoto turned a growing grin at the boy, Ryohei gave a hearty laugh, and Lambo looked at Tsuna with a beaming admiration. Chrome just silently pointed at Tsuna. Mukuro was the one who actually said something, "You're famous,my little Tsunayoshi."

"Huh?" Tsuna asked, trying to think of what he could've done to gain fame.

"Tsuna, you EXTREMELY beat up all those guys in Storm! Everyone's EXTREMELY talking about it," Ryohei clarified helpfully. Tsuna paled before looking around the whole room, everyone's eyes on him expectantly.

"B-but that wasn't... I didn't…" Tsuna stammered, unable to form a coherent answer.

"You did!" came another voice. The boy he had saved was walking up to him, a grin on his face. "It was amazing! You suddenly show up and explode into your Flame. No wonder you didn't want to show it at the class-picking! It was huge!"

Tsuna didn't know how to react to the boy's enthusiasm. He had merely done what he had thought right at the moment, yet if it had this big of an effect, Tsuna almost wished he had left it well-enough alone. But he knew he couldn't have. Tsuna sighed. _What a mess this is_. "It was a fluke, I swear! It was just… spontaneous. I don't think I could do it again."

With that, the rest of the room let out almost a collective sigh of disappointment, hoping to have found another strong fighter in the school at last. A few people still kept an eye on his though, only half-listening to the conversations at their tables, but Tsuna could ignore them.

The silver-haired boy looked put-out. "Can I at least sit with you then?" he asked, convinced that his savior was being humble. His savior was a thing of awe to the boy now, someone who could do no wrong after his earlier heroics showed his true character.

Tsuna thought for a moment. "I don't see why not," Tsuna said, looking at the others for confirmation. There was a general agreement – if Tsuna didn't mind, they wouldn't – so the boy took a seat to the right of Tsuna. As it now stood, Tsuna was at the middle with the boy to his right and Yamamoto to his left, leaving the last seat in the row open. On the other side of the table were Ryohei with Lambo next to him. Mukuro and Chrome sat next to each other with Ken, Chikusa, and M.M. taking seats at the connected table. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. Friends just call me Tsuna," Tsuna said, smiling at the boy.

He didn't expect the boy to blush profusely and say, "I could never call my savior by his first name, Sawada!"

Tsuna shook his head at the formality but let it go, "So, what's your name?"

The boy looked at Tsuna, open-mouthed, before recovering, "I'm Gokudera Hayato. You may call me whatever you wish."

"Thank you, Gokudera," Tsuna said, returning the courtesy. It would be uncomfortable calling someone by their first name when they wouldn't return the favor. All of a sudden, his eyes began to heat up, the originally irritating burn just a pulsing heat. He smiled weakly at Gokudera before rubbing his eyes, remembering it would at least get rid of the sensation.

As with the last few times, Tsuna missed Gokudera eyes widening. The teen began a, "Sawada…" but was quickly interrupted by the tap of a sheath against his back from further down the line. Frowning, Gokudera leaned back and opened his mouth to yell when he saw a serious face on Yamamoto who was mouthing quite clearly, "Don't tell. Just shut up." Feeling gazes from the rest of the table, Gokudera realized that they all knew but were keeping it from Sawada for some reason. Confused but unwilling to make enemies of Sawada's companions, Gokudera nodded and shut his mouth just as Tsuna raised his head, the heat alleviated.

Gokudera was then introduced to the rest of the table. He seemed to have a very volatile personality when it came to anyone except Tsuna. Yamamoto and Gokudera got off to bad start due to the overfriendliness of the former. Lambo had managed to annoy Gokudera, earning himself a shouting fight within moments of meeting the other. Ryohei had been criticized for how loud he was, and Mukuro had been deemed too creepy to be anywhere near Tsuna. Chrome was approved of, partially because Gokudera turned into a complete gentleman when he addressed women. Ken, Chikusa, and M.M. hadn't left much of an impression and the reverse was true, just a couple of exchanged insults. Theirs were the most normal introductions.

"Hey, Tsuna," Yamamoto said suddenly, breaking off mid-conversation with Ryohei, "congratulations on earning your colors!" Yamamoto then put his arm around Tsuna's shoulders as his smile grew. Tsuna looked confusedly at Yamamoto, who pointed at the shirt he had in. Tsuna took a chance to properly assess what he looked like, surprised to find that there was indeed orange where the gray had been.

"But I've been wearing these clothes all day. They were gray when I went to sleep, how did it…?" Tsuna trailed off, suddenly not wanting the answer. This school had too many secrets, but that was one he didn't really need to know.

Yamamoto looked at him with a question in his eyes, but Tsuna waved it off. The rest of the table looked at Tsuna, noticing that the boy had indeed had color added into his uniform. There was a quick round of congratulations, everyone knowing how important it had been to the brunet, Ryohei's being the loudest of course.

Tsuna couldn't help the smile on his face, feeling as though he'd finally set himself on the path he needed to. He didn't realize the grin was contagious as everyone else began to grin as well, some smaller than others but the sentiment was shared nonetheless. Amid the jovial atmosphere, dinner ended far too soon.

* * *

They walked to the stairs together, continuing their banter until the girls said good night. The boys then climbed the stairs losing their members one by one as they left for their rooms, conversation slowly losing to yawns. Waving good-night, Tsuna once more entered his room to properly sleep, stopping mid-yawn in shock as he took in the room.

The floor with a now orange rug set off the brighter orange walls with its contrast. His desk chair had an orange seat cushion; there were orange pens and orange-bordered paper sitting on it now. The window now had orange curtains and the glass was tinted with a very subtle orange that seemed to disappear when you approached and grew more prominent as you got further to the side. His bed had various shades of oranges on the sheets, the comforter being a darker orange and his sheets a pale orange. It was like walking into an orange wonderland. Not that Tsuna minded; orange was his favorite color. Walking into the bathroom, Tsuna couldn't help but laugh at the shower curtain that had been turned orange as well with little smiling oranges randomly placed. The floor mats were orange as well, but luckily the floor tiles remained white. That would've been a bit much in Tsuna's opinion. However, the bath towels had also been dyed orange.

Tsuna took a quick shower before looking through his closet, already knowing what he'd find. And sure enough, his pajamas were now orange. His uniform was now orange where the gray had previously been. It was strangely fitting, but Tsuna did wonder how they had managed to completely re-do the room in the time it had taken him to eat dinner. There was even an orange alarm clock next to his bed.

Tsuna shook his head in wonder before noticing one new addition to his room that hadn't been there before. There was an orange-tinted glass shelf along part of one wall, his drawstring bag lying on the top. Reaching inside the bag, Tsuna began to personalize the room properly. He pinned a calendar up on the wall to keep track of what day it was. He placed the family photo he had brought on the shelf, where he was sure to see it. The small box of snacks he'd brought from home went also went on the shelf. It was just a simple box of grape candies; he decided to start keeping one in his pocket from now on. _Maybe Lambo would like one?_ Tsuna would have to see. There were also various school supplies in there, but Tsuna decided to just leave those alone for right now.

Tsuna properly went to bed, snuggling underneath the covers. Things were looking up.

* * *

The next morning, Tsuna didn't even have trouble waking up, energy buzzing through him at the thought of what the day would bring. He'd finally lit his Flame! That meant that he was officially a student, not an outcast. Putting his suit on and liking the orange on him, Tsuna felt a grin form. When he left this room, he nearly rammed into someone. "Good morning, Sawada," called a familiar voice. Gokudera was grinning, his hands behind his back as he waited for Tsuna. It was a little weird to have someone waiting outside his door for him, and Tsuna had a bad feeling this was only the beginning.

He was right.

Gokudera had insisted on carrying his food, taking a little for himself to taste for poison. Tsuna had never heard anything so insane before, but he let the boy do as he liked, thinking he was just looking for a way to repay Tsuna for helping him with the bullies despite Tsuna's emphasis that it really was unnecessary. After finally giving Tsuna the okay to eat, Gokudera had continued to watch him, a puppy in everyone's eyes.

Tsuna sighed. "You'd better eat before the food gets cold," Tsuna advised.

"Ah, thank you, Sawada!" Gokudera said. "As expected of you. Your care for others knows no bounds!" Without hesitation, he was on the floor bowing, to which a flustered Tsuna quickly waved him back up to the table before anyone could see such a spectacle.

Tsuna was blushing at the high praise. It wasn't that big of a deal. This boy kept blowing things out of proportion. Luckily, the others seemed to have already brushed it off as a quirk and ignored it. Yamamoto began talking sports with Ryohei, the only other person who knew what was he was talking about. Gokudera and Lambo got into a kicking fight under the table in the seconds that Gokudera had returned to his seat. Mukuro and Chrome were just eating normally, Mukuro seemingly planning something with the other three. Tsuna almost didn't want to know what they had in mind. He could already tell that they were a disturbing group when left to their own devices.

Tsuna couldn't help but feel a stark contrast between who he was now and who he had been just a few days before. He didn't just sit silently in the classroom and eat, praying no one came up to him; he knew he had a place at a table if he wanted it. His teachers didn't ridicule him. Then again, they hadn't seen him try to do school work yet, but Tsuna was trying to be more positive than he had been. _Must be Ryohei's influence_, Tsuna thought fondly.

Even their group of friends seemed happier. They all seemed to balance each other out well: the creepiest and the sweetest; the youngest and the eldest; the calmest and most volatile. Tsuna couldn't help but think that for a bunch of Mafiosi – he still choked a little on the word, but he was getting better – they weren't all that different from regular teenagers.

* * *

From across the room, a certain boy bunched his fists into tight balls as he watched the group and their loud conversations. Something about the male with the pineapple haircut got on his nerves, but the whole group was too loud and was crowding way too much. He smirked to himself. Yes, he would have to bite those herbivores to death. Especially the one that took on five other students single-handedly. It would be fun.

* * *

On his side, Tsuna felt his skin crawl. From what, he wasn't sure, but someone certainly wanted something less than friendly with him. He shook it off, trying to enjoy the rest of his breakfast in relative peace. How he managed to do so amid the yelling, threats, and occasional bits of flying food, he wasn't sure, but he did. Breakfast finished and Tsuna once more headed for his class, unaware there was one who had taken a very dangerous interest in him.

* * *

All the teachers had been notified when Tsuna had awakened his Flame, not that they hadn't already noticed. It wasn't as though the Flame had been small, and what kind of teachers would they be if they couldn't even detect a Flame? But it was a formality. Regardless, when Tsuna walked in, Luce's eyes automatically jumped to his clothes, noting with satisfaction that they were indeed orange. Now that all her students had properly introduced themselves and their Flames were confirmed, she could do more with them. _This is going to be fun_, she thought, an amused gleam taking up residence in her eyes.

When all six students arrived, Luce ushered them through the doors to the left – _the giant room,_ Tsuna noted – where Aria was already waiting. "We start the good stuff now," Luce said happily. "Now we get to play with our Flames. So first, everyone light up. The key phrase is **Sorgi, Fiamma del Cielo**. Try to hold the Flame in your hands. If you control it well enough, it won't burn you."

With a small grunt of the phrase, Xanxus was the first, holding his Flame in his hands. It had a red tint to the outside, indicative of his powerful affinity to the Storm Flame as well. He looked impatient as he regarded the other students, who were slower to light theirs.

Byakuran managed to light his the same way, but had a bit of trouble getting the Flame off his back – where it had appeared for whatever reason – and into his palms. After a little bit of concentration, he managed to do it. At about the same time, Yuni managed to capture her Flame in her hands as well.

Dino had his face screwed up in concentration. It was a little comical to watch, but with a determined mutter of, "**Sorgi, Fiamma del Cielo**," he too eventually got a Flame flickering in his hands. Enma wasn't having any luck with his Flame though. After several frustrating moments, Luce shared an indescribable look with Aria before walking over to Enma and whispering something into his ear. He looked startled at whatever the woman said, before nodding and mumbling the phrase underneath his breath. With a cry of delight, his Flame appeared but there was a darker tint to his, almost a burnt orange. It would've been something close to having an impure Flame, but that wasn't the case; it was the same color through and through, just darker. Tsuna would wonder about that when he wasn't trying to desperately light the Flame he needed.

After several minutes, Tsuna still couldn't make it appear. There didn't seem to be any kind of reaction at all; the warmth completely evaded him. His classmates began to get restless and he could feel the glare of Xanxus stabbing into his back. Luce nodded at Aria to go help the boy. Tsuna looked up as Aria approached, wondering if he was going to get yelled at for being inadequate.

"Tsuna, you know Flames are fueled by the Dying Will, a fierce determination, right?" Tsuna nodded, remembering what he'd been told yesterday, and Aria continued, "Then think about what happened yesterday when you managed to light it. Just feel those feelings once more." Tsuna looked at her in surprise; he hadn't expected the teachers to know about it.

Tsuna thought hard, remembering exactly what had happened the moment the burning had begun. It first started appearing when Gokudera was getting beat up, but what had sent him over the edge were the insults towards his family. "I just need to think about that?" Tsuna asked, receiving a nod in confirmation.

Concentrating on what happened yesterday, Tsuna thought about how hurt Gokudera had looked when his mother was called those horrible names. No one deserved to be called that. Then they had proceeded to beat him. It was five-on-one for crying out loud! There was no way he could handle all five at once. Tsuna felt his blood begin to boil with his desire to protect, the burning beginning to return to his body. But it wasn't hot enough yet; it wasn't almost unbearable yet. After all, he had taken care of that situation and now Gokudera was fine. Safe.

Tsuna continued to think, remembering Lambo's tears the other day after being called useless, how he had nearly believed it, how he wasn't safe from those biting words when Tsuna wasn't there. Tsuna felt his righteous anger flare up at the cruelty of others who were jealous of those who were different from them. The burning intensified and Tsuna realized he only needed one small push to light up. As he searched for the final push, the rest of his class was staring, including his teacher.

Tsuna's hands were beginning to turn orange, a Flame flickering over them. But it wasn't only his hands; his forehead was also nursing a small Flame. The whole time he'd been getting his Flame fired up, his presence had gradually demanded more and more respect, a pressure that could be felt by everyone in the room. Luce couldn't help but look in slight awe at the boy, admitting Reborn did know how to pick them.

Tsuna found the final straw: Chrome. He relived the moment he saw her fall to her knees, how horrified he was that he could do nothing against whatever was hurting her, how much he wanted to just take all her pain away. To keep her safe. The burning grew unbearable and Tsuna just let it out, releasing the heat into the outside world.

With a whisper of "**Sorgi, Fiamma del Cielo**," a _whumpf_ of something catching on fire was heard and Tsuna lit, Flames licking up and down his whole body. Dino whistled in shock. Xanxus merely raised an eyebrow, and Byakuran looked at Tsuna with interest. Yuni mirrored Byakuran's interest and Enma could help but have his eyes widen at the size of the Flame. Luce placed a hand over her eyes at how bright and pure the Flame was, the smile on her face growing larger. Luce began to walk up to Tsuna when Tsuna opened his eyes. Luce's smile twisted into a puzzled frown as she saw orange overtake brown and an abnormally calm expression fall over the boy. She'd have to ask Reborn about that.

Tsuna felt the calm begin to descend on him, embracing it. It was a feeling that he was actually in control of his actions; that he could do anything he wanted with the Flame without thought. He saw Luce approach, a strange expression on her face. "Tsuna?" Luce asked, puzzlement lacing her voice. _This is the same boy that sat in my class the other day, isn't it?_

"Yes, Luce?" Tsuna said, his voice holding undertones of excitement within the calm.

Luce was relieved as she noted the undertone. He was still the same person. "Tsuna, dear, I need you to reduce your Flame to something you can hold in your hand. It's a little too big for what we need to do."

Tsuna frowned slightly, "How do I do that?"

Luce, happy she finally got a Tsuna-ish question, proceeded to show him herself. Bringing her own orange Flame into the mix, she went step-by-step, "You want to keep the Flame contained within your skin and feel as though you opened a small gap in your palms where the Flame can escape. Then you can form it with your thoughts into a sphere. Just imagine it as you're holding a globe of fire." With a flourish, Luce banished the Flame once more.

Tsuna wrinkled his brow at her response. He didn't want that boiling to remain in his body; he wanted to let it out. "But it hurts."

Luce was taken aback by that. There could be discomfort, but it shouldn't hurt. She took the sympathetic route though, saying, "I know, dear, but it will only be temporary."

Tsuna shook a bit as he attempted to retract his Flame, gradually reducing the size until it disappeared back into his skin. It kind of hurt. It was almost comparable to getting a caffeine rush and being forced to stay still despite the energy running rampant within. The Flame on his forehead never diminished though, nor did the orange in his eyes. Biting his lip against the burning in his body, Tsuna concentrated on his palms, releasing his Flame bit by bit.

The class watched as both of his palms lit up simultaneously, each holding a large orb of writhing orange fire. Luce was once again taken aback by the size of the orbs. _That's more Flame than some students had in their whole bodies!_

Tsuna looked expectantly at Luce. Noticing all her students were waiting for what to do next, Luce composed herself and continued, "Line up in front of Aria and me. We'll do some basic tricks with our Flames and you're going to try to copy them to the best of your ability. It'll help with your control."

The students lined up and Luce and Aria lit up their Flames. Sky Flame students seemed to have an ingrained control over their Flames. It commonly resulted in a faster learning rate, and Luce knew it would be a job-and-a-half to keep them occupied. They began with a basic sequence, making the globes of Flame float above their heads before having it orbit them. Tsuna was actually the first one to be able to do it, being able to move both globes at the same time. Xanxus was the second with Dino and Byakuran quickly behind him. Enma had a bit of trouble with his flames, seeming to have trouble keeping it in the air; they tried to sink to the ground every time. Yuni simply waited until everyone was having success before doing what her mother and grandmother were doing with as practiced ease.

They didn't move much further than that, ending with a test of how far they could send the orbs from their bodies without losing control. By this time, Tsuna began to feel exhaustion creeping up on him, a drained feeling filling him. With one last heave that sent his orbs just over the halfway across the room, they disappeared. Tsuna sat down heavily, having lost all strength in his legs. "I'm done," he wheezed, his eyes turning back to brown.

Luce watched the sudden transition from calm Flame master to tired student. He didn't have nearly as much stamina as the other students, but he held the greatest amount of Flame stored in his body. It was a curious trade-off, and if he was given training to increase his stamina while still handling both orbs at once... _Perhaps _he_ would take the job as a favor to me_, Luce mused. And considering who his classmates were, the boy's raw potential was truly something to marvel at.

"Okay class, good job today. You're dismissed, but be back for afternoon lessons," Luce said, ending the class with a clap.

The Flames disappeared one at a time, the students all showing signs of exhaustion at keeping the Flames going for so long. But that was what they needed. They needed someone to push them every day so that they got better and better. They were the future leaders of the Mafia; Skys were always given the heavy task to lead others.

The students left, Tsuna being the last as he heaved himself up. It was easier than he thought to control the orbs, but the burning underneath his skin and the length of time in which he had to keep that control really drained him. Shaking out his limbs, he exchanged a weak smile with Luce as he passed through the doors; she returned it with a strange tentativeness. _What's that about?_ Tsuna wondered, turning from the room. Yawning, he shook it off.

.

* * *

He went to the cafeteria and sank into his seat. There wasn't anyone there yet as it wasn't lunch for another hour, but Tsuna didn't think he could make it to his room at the current moment. Putting his head on his crossed arms, Tsuna closed his eyes with the intent to sleep.

_If only the bloodlust wasn't trying to burn a hole through me._

Looking up wearily, Tsuna saw the dark-haired boy – Hibari was his name – watching him from the entrance to the cafeteria. He obviously didn't want to talk; that was clear by the barely restrained bloodlust. "What do you want?" Tsuna mumbled, trying to pitch his voice across the cafeteria.

Hibari continued staring at the seemingly-weak herbivore. "Fight me."

Tsuna sighed, too tired to be intimidated, "No. Too tired."

Hibari frowned slightly, but accepted the answer. He'd rather fight the boy at full strength than his weakest or else it wouldn't even be a challenge. He left the boy in peace… this time. Next time they'd finish this.

Tsuna closed his eyes and laid his head back down. Within moments he was out.

.

* * *

**A/N**

**Word Count: 4,481**

**Ignore the random periods... They're there so the line breaks work properly. So! Hibari's interested, Tsuna's tired, Luce's scheming, and I'm going to bed soon! What a group we make! T****his is the second-to-last chapter in this arc, the next being the lift-off into the more creative part of the story (THE END OF THE BEGINNING IS NEAR!) and hopefully this hasn't dragged too much. I will screw with your minds and the story starting next arc, so stay with me. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you see any mistakes, feel free to tell me!**

******See you next time!**


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